Betty's First Trip To Rome The Prequel
by bg Roman
Summary: B/G - Getty. Starts at Jump - the S2 finale. Leads into my previous story "Betty's First Trip To Rome" add date Jun 20/08, last update Sep 6/08. The other story is the happy ending, this one describes the angst that precedes it. COMPLETE.
1. Dreaming up a menu

Betty's First Trip to Rome The Prequel - Chapter 1 – Dreaming up a menu

Everyone was up early in the Suarez household on the morning of the day of the Elle versus Mode baseball game.

Hilda giggled and peeked into the sunlight filled kitchen. "Hush" she murmured behind her to Betty while she looked around the door frame. Justin was alone in the kitchen seated at the table with a glass of orange juice in one hand and a spoon in the other. He was poised to plunge the spoon into the bowl of cereal in front of him.

"Go, go." Hilda said as she pushed Betty into the kitchen in front of her. Justin looked up with a look of bemused curiosity. Hilda started to hum as Betty held her hands in front of her clasped around an imaginary bouquet of flowers with Henry's engagement ring sparkling on her finger. "Here comes the bride…" Hilda sang out, delicately holding up an imaginary veil between her perfectly manicured and painted finger nails and walking one step behind Betty. Hilda wailed out "… all dressed in whi-i-i-ite!"

Justin jumped up with a surprised expression "Aunt Betty, really? Is it true!" he clapped his hands in glee. He knelt down and pretended to touch the hem of the imaginary gown. He exclaimed "Is it Valentino? Vera Wang?" He said "Say it isn't so!" while obviously wishing it was so. Hilda laughed, Betty giggled and Justin admired her ring. He then pretended to admire bows and puffed sleeves and other details of the dress. Justin delighted in describing Betty's amazing Cinderella transformation in as much detail as he could imagine. Betty blushed and smiled. The sisters had imagined their own and each other's wedding day many times over the years, but not as often after Justin was born. They always imagined with hope and optimism that the day would be the start of a life as 'happily ever after' as any fairy tale could ever be.

Suddenly the door opened and Ignacio entered the room carrying a bag of groceries. He saw Hilda and Justin fussing over Betty admiring her ring and describing her wedding. The sight sent Ignacio into a state of nervous shock. "No! It can't be. Mija! Tuscon? No – you are killing me." he protested. He placed his hand to his chest and shuddered. He looked pale.

"Papi" screamed Hilda grabbing the bag of groceries from him. Betty took his arm and led him to his comfortable chair. Hilda shouted "Justin, bring your grandpa a glass of water!" while Betty reassured Ignacio by explaining that getting married was the furthest thing from her mind.

"I'm giving the ring back to Henry today" Betty announced. She was sure of her decision. It was sad but she could not continue her relationship with Henry. His sudden reappearance back into her life and his proposal had stirred up a lot of strong unresolved emotions inside her but she was very sure of one thing. She had moved on. The life he offered her was something which she had at one time sincerely thought was her fairy tale coming true but that was definitely over.

"And Rome?" Ignacio asked obliquely, not needing to explain himself further. Hilda and Justin turned to look at Betty. Betty knew what he was asking. It wasn't a question of whether she would be traveling or not although that was part of it. It was a question about her and Gio. Of the answer to this question, Betty was less sure. She was hopeful and nervously excited about being together with Gio. Was this the beginning of her 'happily ever after'? But starting a relationship with Gio and going on a huge trip at the same time seemed much too impulsive and more than a little risky. It was Claire's admonishment to not play it safe that convinced her to say yes. Left to herself she would never have had the nerve to say yes. _It feels right._ She hoped she knew her own mind. Adopting a tone more confident than she felt she said "Yes, Papi. I'm going to Rome. I want to go to Rome. But don't fret about it. I promise you I will be back in New York safe and sound in a month." Ignacio and Betty were both well aware that she had carefully avoided answering his real question.

Gio turned his van into the parking lot. Shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun reflecting off the car's windshields he searched for an empty spot. The lot was crammed with cars of the players and spectators for the Elle versus Mode baseball game. Gio was late arriving and cursed out of habit as he drove farther and farther away from the entry to find a spot. His hope of finding a good spot faded and eventually he found one in a remote corner and quickly turned into it before another car could take it. Feeling relieved that he was finally parked and he was already attired in his baseball gear he grabbed his glove, the orange baseball hat and cell phone and hopped out. Just as he was locking the doors his cell phone rang.

"Ma! Where have you been? I left you three messages to call me since yesterday afternoon!" Gio said with exasperation.

Gio's mother answered "I was out at my book club last night. We talked so late I didn't want to call after I got home. You might think I lead a tame life but let me tell you - people who read a lot have very interesting lives! We have imagination and we get very carried away with our views almost to the point of obsessing. Who am I kidding? Of course we obsess over the stories we read! Gio, what did you call me about?"

"Yes, Ma, I know. I know all about your beloved book club! But I have something serious to ask of you. My friend Betty has agreed to come to Rome with me and you'll need to let Grandpa and Grandma know there will be another guest at their 60th anniversary festivities. And talk to Auntie R too. Tell them to expect one more guest at their son's wedding. Is that going to be okay? I don't want them to go crazy about last minute changes to the guest list. Tell me you'll take care of it, okay? I don't want them freaking out when I show up with a date."

"Who is this Betty? Is she that red-haired girl that Antonella was telling me about?"

Gio had been concentrating on his call but he suddenly noticed the other people rushing by him to get to the game before it started. "No. Nella is making up stories; do not believe anything she says. Ma, listen, this is really important. It has to be perfect. But I have to go now!" he said urgently and ended the call. He slipped the phone into his pocket, checked that his shirt and pants were smoothed properly, tightened his laces, and put on his hat twisting it slightly to one side.

Gio jogged to the entry. He was eager to see Betty. He was unaware of the big happy grin he wore on his face. He'd been walking on air and happier than he'd ever been in his life since the moment Betty has agreed to go to Rome with him and he didn't care who knew it. Nothing he'd experienced before came close to this feeling of euphoria. He was committed to making their trip the best one possible and the most romantic. Every detail would be planned perfectly. He knew Rome, since he'd visited the city a few times before, but he'd also purchased and studied a few up-to-date guide books just to make sure he was fully prepared.

Gio had not slept well the night before, he had lain awake thinking about their hotel accommodation. He imagined they would share a room and a bed of course. He'd imagined them together many a time before. But this was real and it was now. He was more than a little excited about the prospect but his excitement was mixed with nervousness. He needed to ask her about sleeping arrangements today so that he could make the hotel reservations. It was going to be a bit awkward and he wasn't quite sure how he would broach the subject. This was not a problem he was used to dealing with. In prior relationships the first time had occurred very naturally without much talk or planning before hand. And the fact that he cared very deeply about Betty and what she thought of him was not making it any easier. Gio knew Betty was very shy and reserved, and he found it enjoyable to tease and joke with her because of it. But he also knew that locked inside her was a hot and passionate woman. He had met that woman for a split second during their kiss in the deli. He was confident that he could liberate that woman if given half a chance. And he was sure there was no way that a trip to Rome would not give him far more chance than he needed.

Gio walked onto the baseball field just as the game was about to start. He spotted Betty talking animatedly with Amanda and Marc and sauntered quickly towards them.


	2. Making a grocery list

Betty's First Trip to Rome The Prequel - Chapter 2 – Making a grocery list

The ball descended from the sky right above where Betty was standing holding her baseball glove up to meet it. "I got it!" yelled Betty just as Gio and Henry collided with her knocking her to the ground. Gio and Henry looked on as Betty lay still surrounded by a circle made of the other concerned ball players. After a moment she opened her eyes. She said cryptically "I know what to do." Then she was led off the field so the game could resume.

Gio and Henry eyed each other warily and returned to their positions in the field.

Gio was nervous. He did not like it that Henry had reappeared. After months of watching from the sidelines he was finally in the game and then there he was again. His girlfriend's former boyfriend. It was unexpected. It was nerve-wracking. He was upset that Betty was acting strangely today. He was angry that she had not let him know of Henry's proposal earlier.

Henry had offered her marriage. He was pretty sure Betty would be the kind of girl that would like that kind of thing. It was romantic. Maybe it was even more romantic than a trip to Rome. What was he thinking? Of course it was more romantic than a trip to Rome. Gio wondered what Betty would decide. He was worried and he had a hard time concentrating on the game. And he was concerned about Betty. Was she okay?

He mentally kicked himself for running into her. After all the effort he made to talk her in to doing things for herself. He wanted her to feel the satisfaction of doing things for herself. Then he went and blew it. When it came to a crisis he had rushed in and tried to help her. This was not what he was supposed to be doing. He wanted her to be independent. He was mad at himself for not acting the way he thought he should have. He was sure that he had made a huge mistake to run into her. He puzzled over what she meant by her words when she got up from the ground.

After the game Henry and Gio went to where Betty was resting. Betty was sitting on a secluded bench in the shade. Betty told Henry to stay and sent Gio a short distance away to wait.

"How are you Betty?" asked Henry. "How's your little noggin?" he smiled at her sweetly. Henry sat down beside her on the bench.

"I'm okay. I'm going to be fine." answered Betty "How are you? How's your son?"

"Fine, kind of. No, not really. Hey, I have pictures of Nate. Let me get them out."

"Sure. I want to see the little fellow. I want to see who he looks like." said Betty brightly.

Henry pulled out a thick envelope of pictures. He took the pictures out and showed Betty two or three of them. Nate was two months old and he looked exactly the same in each picture.

"Wow, Henry. He is so cute! What a beautiful baby!" exclaimed Betty "It looks like you've got hundreds of photos. Maybe you can give me one. Can I have one?"

Henry sifted through the pictures. Henry described to her how each picture was different and how it was important that he find for the perfect picture for her. Betty thought Nate looked the same in all the pictures. Eventually he held up a picture that showed Nate in a hospital crib.

"Was Nate in the hospital recently Henry?" asked Betty with a look of concern. "Babies that age aren't usually in the hospital are they?"

"No. They aren't. Nate has been having some problems Betty. We just found out last week that he has cystic fibrosis." said Henry sadly.

"What does that mean? What is that?" asked Betty anxiously.

Henry described how Nate had never been quite right since he was born. At first they just thought that as new parents they didn't know what to expect. Recently they had him checked more thoroughly and discovered his illness. Henry explained that cystic fibrosis was a genetic disease that only occurred when both parents were carriers of a defective gene. Only twenty-five percent of babies from parents that were carriers would express the disease. Potential parents were only checked to see if they were carriers if it was in their family. But this case was unexpected. Neither Charlie nor Henry had known they were carriers. The chance they would be carriers was very remote. He talked about the odds and how unlucky they had been. He was bitter when he told her how the statistics and numbers had gone against them. The things that he loved, statistics and numbers, the very things that were crucial to his livelihood had conspired to permanently damage his much loved son.

Henry explained that cystic fibrosis was a life-long illness. There would be no cure for Nate. Some children might live to adulthood but some died younger. It affected each individual differently. There was no way to know yet how Nate would do in the future. But he would always be in and out of hospitals and he would always need to take special care of his health. One blessing was that it would not affect his personality. Another was the treatments were always improving. When he reached his twenties, if he did, he might need a lung transplant to survive. It was a cruel disease and Nate would need special parents to support him. Henry was committed to caring for Nate.

"Betty, when you are a parent you feel the baby's pain when he cries. You feel the baby's fear when he is scared. You can't help it. I realize now that all parents feel this way. Anyone that doesn't have a child can not know what it feels like to be a parent. There is the worry, and the concern, and the fear of losing them. That's true for any parent, a healthy child or not."

Henry went on to explain the dark time he went through waiting to hear what was wrong with Nate. He explained how he hated spending so much time with Charlie because he didn't love her or trust her anymore. But he had to. They had to work together to support Nate. He would need a lot of care in his lifetime. Unfortunately Nate would die, and he would probably die of cystic fibrosis, but everyone dies. Henry had to carry on and make the best of the life they had. It was his duty to do so. But the duty was easy because he loved Nate.

"I've done a lot of soul-searching in the last week Betty. And I came to a conclusion. No one should be a parent alone. It isn't right. I love you. I want you by my side. I need you. I need you so much. Betty, please, please say you will marry me." Henry took Betty's hand and stroked it. "I know you are the one for me. I love you. You love me. Please say yes."

Betty thought about everything that Henry had said. It made her sad that Henry's beautiful son was sick and that he would never recover. Her heart ached to see Henry's tender concern for his son and the obvious effort he made to research and understand his illness. And she was touched that he wanted her to be his helpmate.

She made a decision.

"No Henry. I am sorry for you and I truly did love you before but I don't want to marry you." Betty handed Henry's ring back to him. "I hope we can stay friends."

"Oh." said Henry sadly and put the ring in his pocket. He stroked Betty's face, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear gently. He said softly "Bettykins, why do you say no? You know we are so good together." Henry smiled at her and shifted closer on the bench. He put his arm around her but she pulled away from him. She took her hand out of his grasp.

Henry tried one last effort to remind Betty of what they had shared together. Henry took off his glasses and hat. He mussed his hair. His eyes twinkled as he said in a sexy growl "Come on Betty. I know you want to be my spreadsheet so I can be your formula."

"Henry! No. Stop that!" Betty jumped up and ordered Henry to leave immediately.

Henry stood up. He was visibly shaken. He sadly pushed the picture of Nate in the hospital crib into her hand. "Betty, don't ever get tangled up with someone who isn't honest. Don't choose someone that you can't trust completely. Please don't make the same mistake as I did. Never do that." Henry glanced suspiciously over to Gio who was waiting just out of earshot. Then he said his goodbyes and left.

Betty was profoundly upset and she thought she needed some time to absorb what Henry had said and to sort out all her feelings but Gio was anxiously waiting nearby.

Gio could tell that Henry had been dismissed and he was feeling buoyant. Since he could see them he saw the exact moment when it was clear that Henry was gone for good.

At that moment he started to mentally undress Betty. He marveled that baseball uniforms provided such easy access because of the buttons in the front. He imagined gently unbuttoning Betty's buttons one by one and peeling off the layers. He noticed that baseball uniforms had fewer layers than the clothes that Betty normally wore. So this part went a little quicker than he usually imagined. Gio was eager to go to Betty so he could kiss her and hug her and celebrate and be happy.

Gio walked up to Betty as soon as he saw Henry take his leave.


	3. What's in the Cookie Jar?

Betty's First Trip to Rome The Prequel - Chapter 3 – What's in the Cookie Jar?

Betty was deeply moved by the problems that Henry was having. His beautiful baby that he loved so much was afflicted by a terrible disease. She was very sad for him and she wanted to think about it, but before she could Gio was seated beside her.

Gio put his arm around Betty and nuzzled in to kiss her neck. Betty didn't notice him much because she was preoccupied. She put her arm around Gio comfortably. She was happy to have her friend beside her. Then she closed her eyes and concentrated on her thoughts. She struggled to figure out what she would say to Gio.

Her misgivings about the trip to Rome weighed heavily on her mind. She liked Gio and she liked the idea of them being together. But she thought of it as something for the future, not something for right now. She felt too emotionally drained by her recent experiences to enter into something new.

As she quietly thought of what she would say to Gio he touched her and stroked her hair. He hugged her and smelled her. His mind was on everything that he had dreamed of doing for so long. He didn't need to talk. He didn't want to talk. Betty didn't respond to him too much other than to stroke his back absentmindedly. She was trying to figure out what she felt. What was going on between her and Gio was not nearly as clear cut as for Henry. And that had been much more difficult to handle than she had anticipated.

What she needed to say to Gio was more complex. She wasn't sure what it was she wanted to say. She realized she didn't have any idea of what she would say. She needed some time to think but she didn't have any time. Gio didn't notice that Betty's mind was elsewhere. She was lost in thought while Gio forged ahead unaware that he was about to overstep her boundaries.

Betty's eyes popped open the moment she felt Gio's hand where it shouldn't be.

"Gio, I need to talk to you." Betty said quietly. She tapped his back to indicate that she wanted him to stop what he was doing. Gio murmured but he did not stop. "Gio" breathed Betty into his ear. She wanted him to stop but Gio didn't stop. Everyone else had left so it didn't matter what they said or did or how loud they were. "Gio, stop it!" Betty finally said more forcefully. Gio straightened up so he could look at Betty. He studied her face but he didn't have any idea what she was thinking.

What Betty was thinking was that Gio was smothering her. She thought it was exactly the same thing as what Henry had been doing. Gio was all over her and she was not ready for that. Gio still held Betty tightly in his arms.

"Get off of me!" she shouted angrily while pushing Gio away from her.

Gio was confused. He didn't understand what was going on. "What do you mean?" he asked. It was the first thing he had said since he sat down.

"I think it is perfectly _clear_ what I mean" said Betty icily. She stood up. But it wasn't clear to Gio. He had no idea what was going on inside Betty's mind. He stood up too. The two of them stood silently looking at each other face to face. Betty was angry and confused and Gio was confused and alarmed.

"I can't go to Rome with you next week." said Betty "I want to go, but I can't go." Betty's voice rose as she was filled with a sense of panic trying to explain to him what she barely understood herself "I can't go. I'm sorry."

"You have to go!" replied Gio in a tone he thought was light and teasing. All of the wonderful visions of the elaborately planned trip were filling his head. He was sure he could change her mind. He supposed she was a little nervous and he thought he could put her at ease by joking. He smiled and purred "You have to go because I have some activities planned that I can't do without you."

Betty was disgusted by what Gio was implying. She considered him to be way out of line. She was still very emotional after her talk with Henry and she could not think straight.

"I want to go to Rome, but not next week. Maybe in a couple of months. I don't know when. Sometime later … sometime maybe." She thought she was proposing a perfectly reasonable compromise. It was supposed to be a perfectly reasonable compromise.

"No. It can't be delayed. That's impossible. I have to go." replied Gio. And before he had a chance to explain why Betty became enraged. Gio begged to her "You have to go with me. You have to go with me next week."

"No way. Forget it. Get out of here! Go away!" Betty desperately needed some time alone but she was way past the point of knowing how to ask for it appropriately.

By this time Gio had finally figured out that something was seriously wrong with Betty.

"What? What are you doing? Are you breaking up with me?" Gio was trying to figure out what was going on. He was mystified by Betty's words.

He thought everything would be easy once Henry was gone but something was wrong. Seriously wrong. And he had no idea what it was.

Betty and Gio were standing and glaring at each other. Both of them were breathing heavily, flooded with a mixture of emotions and pumped up with adrenaline.

Betty searched her mind. She was convinced that she was not ready for a relationship with Gio yet. She was sure that she was not ready to travel to Rome with him next week. It was clear to her it was impossible.

She was sure that they were over. She thought Gio had reacted very badly. She was angry at him. This was nothing like what she had expected. She had thought that Gio, _her_ Gio, would do anything she asked. He always did before. He was always willing to wait. He was there for her whenever she needed him, never the other way around. The Gio that was standing in front of her wouldn't stop touching her. He wouldn't change the trip. It was unexpected. It was intolerable. She couldn't stand it any longer.

She was angry at Henry for disturbing her life. She was angry at Gio for asking her to go on such a tempting trip. A trip that _he should have known_ she could never agree to. And she was angry at herself. Why had it all come to this? Why was this happening to her?

Betty thought of the meanest, cruelest thing she could say to Gio. She wanted to win this fight and show him who was in control. She was not going to be pushed around by Henry. And she wasn't going to be pushed around by Gio.

"We can't break up if we were never together, Gio! _And we never were!_" Betty screamed at him.

Gio was severely wounded. He couldn't believe she felt that way. They weren't together? What did she mean by that? He was shocked and angry and confused and everything in between. He'd been on the brink of complete happiness a few moments ago and now he didn't know where the hell he was.

He said the first thing that came into his mind. "Fine, I'm done. I'm done waiting for you Betty Suarez!" He turned on his heel and strode as quickly as he could across the field. His shoulders were slumped. He was angry, hurt, confused and disappointed. He was intensely disappointed.

"And leave me alone! Leave me alone!" Betty screamed at his back as he walked away.

Gio walked to the van which was parked in a remote corner of the parking lot. He got in and started the engine. Then he turned it off. He didn't know where he was going. There was no place that he wanted to go.

He thought over what had just happened. He needed time to figure it out. He wasn't sure that he'd ever be able to figure it out. When he finally started up the van again and drove to the entrance of the parking lot he remembered to look around for Betty.

He wondered if she needed a ride. He had been planning to give her a ride. But he didn't see her anywhere. He parked the van and he searched for her but she wasn't there.

Betty was gone.


	4. Washing dishes

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 4 – Washing dishes

It was the morning after the baseball game. The morning of the first day after Daniel had learned that Wilhelmina had out maneuvered him and taken his job. His rival, his nemesis, the bane of his existence, Wilhelmina Slater, was the new Editor-in-chief of Mode magazine. Wilhelmina would be coming into his office to take over from him any minute.

Daniel had a stack of the current issue in front of him on his desk. Daniel Jr. was seated beside him with a stack of magazines in front of him too. They were taking turns tearing pages from the magazines, crumpling them into balls, and throwing them into the waste paper basket which was placed in the center of the room.

Daniel Jr. twisted around to throw it over his shoulder and made the shot. "_Woo hoo_. High five!" Daniel shouted in approval while clapping hands with Daniel Jr.

Betty entered the room with a coffee and bagel for Daniel and put them on his desk. She sat down in the chair opposite him.

Daniel noisily tore another page out, crumpled it, and threw it into the basket. "Way to go Papa!" shouted Daniel Jr. slapping Daniel's back happily.

"Daniel, I need to talk to you," Betty said. The sight of the magazines being ruined irritated her. The grating sound of tearing paper made it even worse.

"Okay. Shoot!" said Daniel, laughing gaily at his own joke. Daniel Jr. tore out another page, crumpled it up, and laughed exuberantly.

"Daniel!" Betty said sternly. She was becoming increasingly irritated by seeing them destroy the magazines, and from hearing the annoying sound of tearing paper and laughter.

"Go ahead Betty! Spit it out. This is no time to wait. Wilhelmina will be here shortly. Damn her."

"_Daniel_," Betty hissed crossly. She jerked her head towards Daniel Jr. as he tossed another ball of paper toward the basket.

"Oh, don't mind him. We're having fun. We might as well," Daniel said without looking at Betty.

Infuriated, Betty jumped up, grabbed the basket and whisked it up above her head. "Daniel! I need to talk to you! If you don't stop this right now I'm going to dump all this paper out!"

Daniel snapped his attention to Betty. This was severe. As soon as he looked at her he could tell she was livid. Daniel instructed Daniel Jr. to leave them and to shut the door when he left. Betty put the basket down and locked the door.

Daniel's gaiety drained away as soon as Daniel Jr. was out of the room. He was intensely distraught that Wilhelmina was taking away his job and he didn't try to hide it anymore.

Daniel lamented, "Why is it that you don't realize what you really want until you can't have it? I can have any job at Meade besides the one I have. But this is the only one I want."

Betty said firmly, "Daniel. I came here to talk to you about _me_."

"What's up Betty? How's your head? That was quite a hit you took yesterday."

"Fine, my head is fine, Daniel," Betty said flatly, unappeased by his conciliatory tone.

"You don't look fine," Daniel replied as he looked at her intently. He studied her face and noticed dark circles under her eyes which were reddened and damp. "Have you been crying? Did you not sleep well last night?"

"Good observation _Daniel_," said Betty sarcastically, "Yes, I am _not_ fine," and she added bitterly, "I came here to give you my notice. I'll be leaving as soon as I can get a position at another company."

"Betty, you don't have to do that. Your position at Mode is safe. Just because I'm leaving doesn't mean you have to leave too. In fact I am hoping that you will move with me to wherever it is I go next. We can talk about all that after you get back from Rome."

"_I'm not going to Rome!_" Betty shouted angrily, tears threatening to flow.

"Whoa, wait a minute. Did I miss something?" Daniel asked. He remembered when he last saw her, at the game the previous day. She had seemed fine then.

"I'm getting a new job. That's what I am doing. I can't stand it here any longer!" Betty put her hand to her mouth to muffle an involuntary sob. She was no longer able to hold back the gush of tears which suddenly burst forth.

Daniel walked quickly to Betty and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her face into his chest. He stroked her hair and made soothing sounds as Betty wept. Daniel said, "Tell me, Betty, tell me what's wrong, tell me all about it."

* * *

Gio scrubbed and tidied the deli non-stop. He had been at it for hours starting well before opening time. He was filled with intense feelings of disappointment and despair. He struggled to keep himself together. Somehow he had to put one foot in front of the other and get through the day. How he would get through the next day and the days after that could be left for then.

He was torn up inside but he worked hard to keep his true feelings from being noticed. Cleaning was the easiest. When you cleaned you didn't have to talk. The counters had never shone as bright and Gio had never felt as dark. He could not stop playing and replaying the sequence of events of the previous day in his mind. He had not slept a wink and eventually gave up trying. He had come to work well before daylight. He came to work but he couldn't stop thinking.

What had happened? Was it true that the relationship he thought they had was all in his mind? He thought back to previous events. He agonized over how quickly Betty had pushed him away and slapped him when he kissed her in the deli. He was miserable when recalling how she had torn herself from his arms and run away from him right at the start of the dance they shared at Nella's junior high. He had thought that these things indicated some strong feelings. Complex feelings he was sure, but feelings that involved him. He had thought she had real feelings for him that had the potential of becoming something more. Was he wrong?

Had he imagined something that wasn't there when he remembered the comfortable way she had rested her head on his shoulder after the carriage ride? And she had visited him in the deli often and she always stopped to talk to him when she came in. Did that mean nothing? He had thought she went out of her way to see him. And they often shared muffins together, was that nothing too? Was he wrong about everything?

Gio scrubbed and mopped and washed dishes until the customers arrived. He made sandwiches all day long. Every egg salad or chicken salad sandwich hurt him. Everything hurt him. It was like he was bruised all over, inside and out. He didn't know what would cause pain until it did. He made small talk with the customers but he didn't joke with anyone today. But nobody seemed to notice.

Gio thought of his trip to Rome. He thought about telling his mother that he wouldn't be bringing a date after all. This would be very embarrassing and he was sure Nella would tease him mercilessly about it. He'd be attending his grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary shortly after he got there. It was to be such a happy event. He had looked forward to celebrating their long and happy lives together. Their fruitful and productive lives always inspired him and he greatly respected their fidelity. And then there was his cousin's wedding too. They were such a sweet young couple and they were so in love. They were so in love that they were getting married. Probably they would be having children soon. Now he would be alone to witness their nuptials. And Nella was bound to make sure everyone knew why he was alone.

He couldn't delay the trip because of these family commitments but he wondered if he could cancel it altogether. He wondered whether he could change his trip to go somewhere else. He'd always wanted to go to Asia. Asian cuisine was a rising trend and Asian fusion food was becoming very popular. As he doled out some sauerkraut for a Reuben sandwich he pondered the difference between sauerkraut and kimchi . He knew sauerkraut was pickled and fermented shredded cabbage and that it originated in Germany whereas kimchi originated in Korea. Kimchi included the same basic ingredients but added others such as chili peppers. Perhaps kimchi would be a novel and interesting sandwich ingredient. Something for his condiment bar.

He thought he would get some interesting ideas by traveling to Thailand and Korea. Gio had friends that had gone there and they said the travel was fun and cheap and that the food was delicious and flavorful. He thought he could forget Betty in Asia much easier than in Rome. He'd be away from his family and Nella and all his celebrating relatives. He'd be on his own.

And he knew like everyone knows that Asian girls are shy and sweet like Betty. Maybe he would even meet a girl there that was soft and plump like Betty, with shiny dark hair and eyes and a wide smile that lit up her face. Maybe she would even wear braces too. Gio sighed and shook his head sadly. He realized it wasn't the way that Betty looked that he liked. It was Betty. Betty could look like anything and he would still love her.

He tried to concentrate on the sandwiches he was making. There was no way that he could get out of going to Rome so he had to stop himself from thinking about it. He decided to tell his mother about Betty canceling the trip after he got home from work. Then he put the trip out of his mind.

Gio was thankful when the day's rush started up because it kept him busy. By the end of the day he was very tired. He hoped he would be tired enough to sleep.

Then just as he was about to close the shop and lock the deli's front door he heard the familiar ring of the door chime.


	5. Checking the list

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 5 – Checking the list

Daniel talked to Betty for a long time. In the end Wilhelmina did not come to Daniel's office and they were not interrupted by anyone else. Over the course of several hours Daniel found out all about what Betty was feeling. Betty first started to explain in simple terms but as she went on she began to reveal to him more and more of the details and then finally everything about her troubles including her most intimate of thoughts.

Betty was angry at Gio and she was sad for Henry. She was in a very unsettled state of mind. However Daniel could tell that she wasn't sad because Henry was gone. She was over Henry. She had given Henry his ring back and she did not regret it. But she had loved him and now she felt sad for him.

She regretted losing her friendship with Gio. She blamed him for that. He had angered her and acted possessively when she was in no frame of mind to tolerate that behavior. She was prickly and sensitive from her recent unsettling experience with Henry. She was definitely not going to become his girlfriend now and that was what he had demanded.

She wanted to get away from Mode because she didn't want to see Gio. His deli was located very close by and he could often be seen in the hallways and elevators making deliveries. He could be seen at any time. He was there at random times. There was no safe way to avoid him. It was intolerable to her that she would be forced to see him. Her only option was to escape the building altogether. She had to get a new job. She blamed Gio for that too. He was making her leave a job she loved. She planned to get a new job within a month so she would be gone before Gio returned from Rome.

Betty had an appointment with the orthodontist the next day to have her braces removed and Daniel encouraged her to take the day off. He did this readily. He knew he could manage by himself for a whole day easily enough. But for more than that, he did not want to even contemplate.

Daniel hated the thought of losing Betty. She was the only assistant he'd ever had that he could rely on completely. She was very special. Their relationship was much more than the usual boss and employee one. He trusted her and he loved her.

She had a sparkling personality that was nothing like he'd seen before. She took care of him. She was capable and tactful. She was imaginative, creative and saw things from her own unique perspective. She radiated an infectious child-like optimism. She would see the genuine when others merely saw the superficial. She had given him priceless assistance many times.

She had done wonderful things for his family. She had come into harm's way more than once because of him and his family with no regrets. She had helped his family tremendously. It was inconceivable that she would leave.

Daniel listened to her describe her budding relationship with Gio and how it had come to fall apart. He heard all the details of what she said, what he said, what she did, and what he did. He listened to everything very carefully.

Daniel liked Gio. He had liked him since the day he met him. The very first day, the day he had taken Betty to get the wheelchair; Gio had discovered her goals and encouraged her to write. Betty loved writing and Daniel was pleased that she was pursuing her dream.

Daniel had observed how much Gio cared for Betty, even when she was oblivious to him. Daniel remembered the time that Gio had pretended to be her boyfriend. He did this for her even though Daniel could tell it pained Gio to see Betty with Henry. Gio had taken her to see the doctor and had stayed with her there when she was poisoned from the toxic perfume. Gio did not ask for anything in return not even for the broken window in his shop. Gio had cheered her up when her birthday plans were ruined. Daniel knew all these things and they showed him how much Gio cared for her. Daniel knew Gio loved Betty even more than he did.

But Betty did not see it that way. On the occasional times when she thought about Gio she thought of him as pushy and annoying. But he was there to listen to her when she needed someone to listen. And he was there to help her when she needed help. And he was her friend. A friend. That's all she thought of him when she thought of him at all.

Betty was angry at Gio because he had spoiled their friendship by wanting more from her than she could give him. Betty was even angry at him because she was going to miss out on a trip to Rome. She had looked forward to it and to the promise of something more with Gio. But she had been nervous about the trip from the outset and her lack of courage had overruled her desire for travel. She just could not enter into a deep relationship with Gio now and she had become enraged when he would not postpone his trip to suit her needs.

Daniel sent Betty home when they finally finished talking. He sat in his office and thought. He thought long and hard. He wondered about what he could do. He was motivated by his own selfish desire to keep Betty, his perfect assistant, but he was also motivated by a desire to make her happy. And Betty was very unhappy. Very unhappy indeed. Daniel thought about Betty the whole rest of the day.

Daniel went down to the deli just before closing time. He let himself in and asked to wait until Gio was done for the day.

When Gio saw Daniel he couldn't help but think of Betty. When Daniel refused a sandwich and said he wanted to talk to him he became uneasy. He was already tired and distraught. Gio had no idea what Betty may have said to Daniel. He knew they were close friends so he suspected that Daniel knew all the essential points and probably many more details than that. Gio was embarrassed by his words and actions and he was sorry that Daniel would know all about it. He regretted everything he had done and said.

He wasn't sorry that Daniel would know all these things because he didn't like him. It was because he did like him. He knew Daniel was a rich womanizing bachelor with a plum job that he didn't earn. A dumbass. He was the kind of man that Gio would normally disdain.

But Daniel was the dumbass that Betty loved. The dumbass that loved Betty. Daniel respected Betty. Daniel treasured and protected Betty. He may not have been very good at it but he tried his best to be her mentor. That's what made the difference. Gio wished that Daniel would like and respect him but he suspected that was very much in doubt now. Of course Daniel would take Betty's side. He thought Daniel should take Betty's side. Taking Betty's side was the right thing for Daniel to do.

He was unhappy that he'd caused Betty any pain and he regretted his words of the previous day. He wanted to see Betty and apologize to her but she had ordered him to stay away. He would not disobey her wishes. If she wanted to talk to him she knew where to find him. He wondered if he should write her a letter.

Finally everything was done and Gio could no longer delay sitting down with Daniel. Gio was nervous and upset and he found the situation very stressful.

Daniel greeted Gio with a warmth and concern that surprised him. Daniel came straight out and asked Gio what had happened between him and Betty. Daniel showed tact when raising the issue and he listened to Gio very sympathetically.

Gio was relieved to have someone to talk to about it. He realized as soon as he started talking that he desperately needed someone to listen. He was very grateful to Daniel for coming to see him. And he was grateful to Daniel for coming when there were no customers or distractions so Gio could feel comfortable talking with him. Daniel asked Gio why he was going to Rome and many other questions. Daniel learned of the family celebrations that Gio would be attending in Italy. Gio answered everything that Daniel asked and they talked for a long time.

When Daniel was satisfied that he had learned the extent and depth of Gio's regard for Betty he said that he would try to convince Betty to go to Rome with him. This surprised Gio even more. He felt it was hopeless but he was impressed that Daniel cared enough about him to try and he was amazed that he thought that going to Rome with him was the right thing for Betty to do.

Daniel promised to figure out a plan to get them back together and get the trip back on track. Gio thought it would be almost impossible and he could tell that Daniel did not think it would be easy. Daniel asked Gio to keep his spirits up and said he'd be in touch as soon as he could. After Daniel left Gio locked the doors to the deli and got into his van. As he drove away he decided he would not to tell his mother about Betty canceling just yet.

Daniel went back up to his office and thought some more. After a while he picked up his phone and dialed the Suarez home number.


	6. Getting out the recipe

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 6 – Getting out the recipe

Amanda was sitting in the middle of the large round reception desk with her chair swiveled so that her back was to the elevators. Marc was standing inside the desk in front of Amanda describing a prank he was about to set up in the copy room. Marc suddenly looked up behind Amanda and said, "Twelve o'clock!"

Amanda gracefully held out her arm and rotated her wrist to look at her watch. "Lunch time already? Hey, no, it isn't!"

"No," Marc exclaimed. "I mean, _incoming_! Dead ahead!" Marc grabbed her chair and rotated it so she could see who was emerging from the elevator doors.

Hilda stepped out in very tall high heels wearing a tight low-cut animal print dress that left nothing to the imagination. She breezed up to Amanda and stared confidently back at Marc and Amanda's devilishly happy faces as they recognized her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Betty's not in today," Amanda said in a manner that didn't sound the least bit apologetic.

"I know that, I have an appointment with _Daniel,_" said Hilda, haughtily tapping her bright red nails on the counter.

Amanda started to dial Daniel's number into the phone and then paused, "Oh. there's something I've been meaning to ask you. Is Betty adopted? Or are you? The two of you are so, uh so, uh, _not alike_," said Amanda, giving Hilda and her dress a head to toe look of scorn.

"Excuse me?" said Hilda, arching one perfectly tweezed eyebrow. "Tell me Amanda, just exactly which Suarez sister are you insulting?"

"Do I have to choose just _one_?" retorted Amanda just as she got Daniel on the line. Marc squealed his approval of Amanda's jest.

"Daniel says to go straight to the closet and he'll meet you there as soon as he can get away," said Amanda, with a pout. "And you can tell Christina you can pick any dress or shoes that you like."

"Ha!" said Hilda as she sashayed triumphantly back to the elevator.

* * *

Daniel approached the closet just as Christina was packing up the dress that Hilda had picked. She left the parcel on her workstation and started to hurry away.

"Thanks for your help," Hilda called out to Christina's retreating figure.

"Good day Daniel. How's it going?" said Christina, as she walked past Daniel. "You'll see that I talked Hilda into getting a dress. I think it's for the best, don't you?" Christina looked askance at Hilda's animal print dress, now back in place on Hilda's body, and then rushed off without waiting for a reply.

"Hey Daniel, how are you doing?" said Hilda as Daniel walked up to her.

"Not too bad. Thanks so much for coming in this morning Hilda," said Daniel, with a harried expression. "You're essential. You're saving my life. I have got some big troubles going on with Wilhelmina and Daniel Jr. and I am really thankful you're going to help me with this Betty situation. I'm going nuts. I have a lot of problems to deal with right now."

While listening to Daniel, Hilda ran her fingers through the dresses on the clothes rack next to her. When he was finished she pulled out a bright red sequined dress with shockingly low cut front and back necklines and the hem so high it barely grazed the top of her thighs. She draped the dress against her body and twisted herself around to display it seductively to Daniel. "What do you think? Can you imagine this on me? How does it look?"

"Oh, um, uh," said Daniel. He swallowed and searched his mind for an acceptable word. "Good?"

Hilda smoothed the sequined fabric over her curves and said, "But I think the hem needs to be taken up a few inches - don't you agree?"

Daniel stared and gulped. "Uh, wow, Hilda, you sure have a gift for knowing how to take a guy's mind off of his problems."

Daniel walked behind Christina's workstation and sat down in her chair to put a little more distance between them. Hilda carefully hung the red dress back on the rack and followed Daniel. She sat down on the corner of the desk trapping Daniel between the desk and the wall. She leaned towards him making sure he got a good view and said, "Daniel, I have other gifts too."

"Uh, yeah, I see that," he replied. He tugged at his collar to loosen his tie. He forced his baby blue eyes upwards to her face and met her amused gaze.

"You're observant, and what might those gifts be?" asked Hilda, delighted to see Daniel squirm.

"Um," Daniel paused to think. "Let's see, uh, a gift for creating a visual presentation with impact?" he said tentatively, and then added with more conviction, "As a magazine editor I am highly trained to recognize that kind of thing."

"Good one Daniel, I like that. So, what do you say about shoes? I really want to get a pair to match my new dress," said Hilda. She fluttered her eyelashes, "Is this a good time to ask?"

"Okay, okay, shoes too. But afterwards, okay?" said Daniel. "Only after the successful completion of your end of the bargain."

"Great! No problem. I don't mind coming back again!" replied Hilda, sitting up straight and letting her demeanor switch from seductress to girlish glee in an instant.

"Good. Now let's go meet Gio," said Daniel. He stood up, picked up the parcel containing Hilda's new dress, and they headed towards the elevators.

* * *

The orthodontist had finally completed the brace removal and cleaned Betty's teeth. Her teeth were impeccable. He was extremely proud of the results. Betty had been an ideal patient. She was a star. Her mouth contained the perfect example of his superior skill and he was eager to take a picture of Betty's new smile for her file, and to add to his bulletin board display of before and after photos. There was only one problem.

Betty would not smile. This day, the day she was losing her painful unsightly braces, this day, the day that she had anticipated eagerly since she was a little girl, this day, the day she would finally have the smile she dreamed of, on this day, of all days, Betty could not smile. She was unable to smile because she was crying. Try as they might to get a photo of her smile they could not. Betty was inconsolable.

* * *

Gio, Daniel and Hilda were seated at a quiet table in the back of a coffee bar a few blocks away from the deli so they could talk in private and without interruptions.

"Okay. So, here's the situation," Daniel said in a light, even tone. "Betty has broken up with Gio and she wants to quit Mode because she can't stand the possibility of running into him every day. Gio is leaving in a few days for a month long trip to Rome. Unless she gets back together with him before then she'll be gone to another job before he gets back. Unfortunately Gio can't delay his trip due to circumstances that are beyond his control. Betty is the best assistant I have ever had and I am willing to take steps to keep her. I'm more than willing to cover the cost of the trip, all expenses included, if we can get her back together with Gio and onto that plane to Rome."

Gio tapped his fingers nervously and stared into his empty coffee cup. He looked miserable and uncomfortable.

"I believe there's such a tight time-line here that there's zero chance of them getting back together before he goes without some kind of drastic intervention," Daniel continued, "I don't want Betty to realize I'm interfering in her life and Hilda has, uh, graciously offered to provide her services in this matter."

Hilda smiled a pleased smile and patted the parcel on her lap.

"So, does that about cover it?" asked Daniel.

"Yeah," said Hilda and Gio in unison but Hilda said it brightly and Gio said it sadly.

"Fortunately, in the course of my confidant duties I have been privy to Betty's innermost thoughts on the matter. She has shared with me, in the strictest confidence of course," Daniel glanced at Gio and Hilda, "… her deepest and most intimate feelings." Daniel cleared his throat, "It is my belief that Betty harbors feelings for Gio but she stubbornly refuses to acknowledge them. Ideas anyone?"

The threesome sat in silence, thinking to themselves. Gio looked like he would rather be anywhere else than where he was. He looked wretched.

"Now, I'd like to give Gio some advice," said Daniel.

"Yeah, right," said Gio dejectedly. "_You,_ Daniel, of all the people to give _me_ relationship advice. A man with a modus operandi of 'catch and release'. A skirt-chaser. God, look at what I am reduced to," Gio punched his fist into his forehead a couple of times.

Daniel cleared his throat and waited until Gio had dropped his hand back to the table.

"Well, the chase is the same. The catch part is the same. Whether you choose to keep the fish or throw it back is irrelevant. So I think I have something valuable to offer. Now, here's what I think," said Daniel, looking directly at Gio.

"It appears that you're moving too fast Gio. What do you think you're chasing here - a Lamborghini? Take it easy, man. Betty's not like, uh, like some other, uh …" Daniel left his sentence unfinished and glanced at Hilda.

Hilda twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers, smiled at Daniel, and said, "You got _that_ right."

Gio observed the glance between Daniel and Hilda and a thought crossed his mind but he pushed it away so he could concentrate on what Daniel was saying.

"Now, I'm confident with a little tweaking Gio should be able to win Betty over," said Daniel.

"_What the hell is that supposed to mean?_" demanded Gio.

Hilda patted Gio's hand and said with emphasis, "Calm down Gio, I'm telling you that you should listen to Daniel. He's good at what he's good at. Just hear him out. We're all on the same team, okay?"

"But he can't do anything at all if they aren't even in the same city," said Daniel. "And it has to be Rome. I'm worried about Ignacio too. What are you thinking about him, Hilda?"

"Oh, I think I can handle Papi. Don't worry about him. But Betty," said Hilda, pausing and tapping a finger to her lips thoughtfully, "I am worried about Betty. She can be stubborn."

"Yeah," agreed Daniel and Gio in unison. They both stared intently at Hilda's face.

"And we don't have much time. This is going to take some thought," she said slowly. "Some serious thought."


	7. Sharing a cup of coffee

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 7 – Sharing a cup of coffee

It was the next morning and Gio, Daniel and Hilda were seated at the same quiet table in the coffee bar. The all had cups filled with steaming hot coffee in front of them.

Hilda described how she had listened to Betty the previous night for hours. She told them how she had spent another hour or two afterwards considering a couple of different plans of attack.

Hilda had discovered that Betty was very angry at Gio and that she was firmly convinced that she did not want to ever see him again. She blamed Gio for making her angry. She blamed Gio for everything that was wrong in her life. And she felt she had a lot of things that were wrong in her life.

The problem looked severe and it was especially severe given that they only had a few days to change her mind enough to go on a trip with him. That would require a very big change in the way she was thinking. It was definitely going to be difficult. Hilda did not underestimate the difficulty of handling someone with Betty's temperament.

Betty was very firm about the things she believed in. She was not a person that was easily swayed by others. She would not even be easily swayed by her older sister that she loved dearly and regarded highly.

Gio and Daniel listened intently as Hilda described the gravity of the situation.

"I think what we have here is a case of transference," stated Hilda. "That's the technical term. You all know what that means?"

"No. Please explain," asked Daniel.

"Betty has transferred all her dissatisfaction in life onto Gio," said Hilda. "She believes that he is the cause of all her problems. She needs to escape Gio so she can get her life back. That's pretty much it in a nutshell."

"How could I have done that?" said Gio sadly. "What did I do so wrong?" He stared into his coffee cup limply, weary from lack of sleep and puzzled by Hilda's conjecture.

"Wow. Look at you, Hilda, you missed an amazing career as a psychiatrist!" said Daniel. "That's brilliant. How do you know that stuff?"

"Movies. I loved _Analyze This_. I can't tell you how much it annoyed me the sequel was so bad," Hilda replied.

"Oh, god! So we're going with the Billy Crystal School of Psychiatry? And we think that'll work?" Gio said and rolled his eyes.

"Hey, did you see _How to lose a guy in 10 days?_" asked Hilda.

"That's a chick flick. So _no_, I didn't see it," said Gio.

"In that one Kate Hudson's best friend pretended to be a therapist and she did a great job of getting Kate and Matthew McConaughey together," said Hilda brightly. "See, no training required!"

"Gio, I'm afraid you will have to get used to watching chick flicks when you seal the deal," Daniel said with a smirk. "You'll find it kind of goes with the girlfriend territory."

"Thanks for the heads up Daniel," Gio said dryly. "But in any case movies are not like real life."

"Well, my other qualification is running a hair salon," said Hilda. "I have listened sympathetically to just about every problem under the sun. You would not believe. I have years of experience, and I'm telling you it isn't all sunshine in there. Not by a long shot. You'd be amazed at what I have heard!" Hilda defended her skill at talk therapy vigorously.

"So then, what do you do about transference?" asked Daniel. "How do you stop it?"

"I'm working on it. I have scheduled another session; I mean another sisterly heart to heart, for tonight," Hilda replied. "You can remind me that I have to pick up a tub of ice cream when we are through here. After that, if it isn't too late I'll call you with an update. Otherwise let's just meet here tomorrow morning. Same time?"

They all agreed.

"How's it going at the shop?" Daniel asked Gio. "Who is making sandwiches while you are here?"

"I had to bring in a new guy for the month I'm in Rome," said Gio. "He is training this week. I was going to spend more time with him but he's fine. He knows what he is doing. It isn't rocket science. He can call me on my cell if he has any problems. So, the shop is doing fine without me, thanks for asking."

"Good. I want to take you shopping after this. You need some new clothes. You need a whole makeover," said Daniel.

"I don't recall that being in the plan," replied Gio with a puzzled tone. "I think I handle my clothes fine. _Are you saying there is something wrong with my clothes?_"

"We can get to that later," said Daniel.

"Remind me to go over that with you, before you leave," said Hilda.

"Let me tell you what I've done with Betty today," said Daniel. "She is in the town car taking Daniel Jr. to a series of interviews. He needs a tutor so he can get into the best school and I have given Betty the job of shopping for one. He doesn't really need a tutor that's just what I told her. She has appointments all over town. She will not be back until the end of the day. I'll join them in the car and then Daniel Jr. and I will drop her off at the house. That'll be about seven this evening. Will you be ready to take over Hilda?"

"Yes. That's perfect," Hilda replied. "Justin will be taking Papi to a computer class at the senior's centre. It starts at seven. Will you drop in?"

"No, I don't want her to suspect that I am involved so I'll stay in the car. I'll keep an eye on her until she gets in the door."

"Okay, that's fine," said Hilda. "Now what I think we need to do is to choose some kind of activity with a group of people there so that Gio and Betty can both attend, but not have to talk to each other or be too close together. This is called desensitization. Normally it would take weeks, but we are just going to have to see if we can compress it. Ideas anyone?"

"Dancing?" suggested Gio.

"Certainly not," said Hilda. "If you dance with her that would be way too close together and otherwise it is not close enough. We're nowhere near ready for dancing. We're going to have to do this in baby steps."

"Movie?" suggested Daniel.

"Nope. That's no good either," said Hilda. "They wouldn't get a chance to mingle or even talk, assuming I can get her to the talking stage by then."

"What ideas did you have in mind?" asked Daniel.

"I was thinking of bowling. Do either of you bowl?" Hilda asked.

"I like bowling," answered Gio.

"I don't," answered Daniel with distaste.

"You could learn," said Hilda. "You could take Daniel Jr. bowling. He might like it. I could bring Justin. I think the idea has merit but let's kick around another couple of ideas. Maybe we will come back to it later."

"Museum?" suggested Gio.

"Hmm. That sounds pretty good," said Hilda. "Betty likes museums. It has to be in the evening though."

"An art opening?" suggested Daniel.

"I like that idea," said Hilda "Is there one tomorrow or the next day? We can't wait for it. It has to be now."

"There's always something on," said Daniel. "Some are pretty obscure but that doesn't matter. I could tie it into work somehow. I can ask a few other people to go that Betty knows, like Christina."

Hilda tapped her lips thoughtfully, "Yes. That's sounding pretty good. Can you get into some of them and preview the exhibitions? We don't want anything with violent or mature content."

"What's the criteria?" asked Daniel. "What kind of content isn't allowed?"

"Well, nudity, obviously. That's a no go. Especially male nudity," said Hilda. "Too bad for me, but that's definitely not what we're looking for here."

Gio was listening intently. He was starting to become encouraged by the matter of fact way that Hilda and Daniel were working on fixing his trip to Rome. He was finally starting to feel like there might be a fair chance that it could work out. He was relieved and happy and thankful to them for trying. He was anxious to see Betty and he desperately hoped that he could make a good impression when he saw her. He wanted to do anything possible to make a good impression.

"Uh oh, I hope we can get her past that nudity thing," Gio mused. "Have you been to Rome? Just about every street corner has a fountain and every fountain has a statue. Greek gods, royalty, statues of all kinds of people, men and women, and almost all of them are starkers. The museums are crammed with that stuff. It's all out there larger than life. You know David, right? That's what I'm talking about."

"Wow. That sounds like my kind of place!" exclaimed Hilda. "But, not Betty. Whoa, it is so not her, can't you avoid that stuff?"

"There is one museum where you can avoid it," replied Gio. "The Vatican museum. All the statues have fig leaves on them. It makes me laugh, they're so ridiculously repressed."

"Now, Gio, Betty is going to be a little sensitive," said Daniel. "Keep that in mind. That museum sounds perfect for her."

Gio suddenly blushed. A thought occurred to him that he hadn't thought of before. He put his hands over his face for a moment. "Um, is there something about Betty I don't know? She is twenty-four, right?" he asked. "She _is_ twenty-four." Gio looked at Hilda intently.

It took a second for Hilda to grasp Gio's meaning. Then she laughed and exclaimed, "I loved Steve Carell in forty year old virgin! That was hilarious. He's a genius!"

"So, is she?" Gio asked Hilda with a flustered expression. He was astonished he was asking Hilda what he was, but he had to know.

"She does act young for her age. But she isn't Gio," said Hilda in an amused tone. "She's been there, done that. Not often, but once is enough, right? Actually when we were growing up people used to think Betty would become a nun. Not me of course. I won't repeat what they thought I'd become."

Hilda smoothed her blouse, unbuttoned another button and adjusted herself so that her pretty black lace push up bra was peeking out of the blouse just the way she wanted.

Gio and Daniel gaped at her, and glanced at each other.

"We wouldn't want to hide these puppies under a nun's habit now would we?" she asked.

"No," breathed Daniel and Gio.

"Luckily for you Gio, Papi doesn't want her to become a nun either. Amen," said Hilda pausing to cross herself and say a silent prayer. "Just so you know, children are expected. I don't want to get the cart before the horse, but you might as well be forewarned. Papi needs more grandchildren, that's a given."

"I love kids!" said Gio. "They love me."

"I love making them," said Daniel.

"Well, that too, of course," replied Gio. "What's not to like about that?"

"Let's talk about cologne," said Hilda, bringing them back to the task at hand.

"I've got that on my list. Perfect grooming is essential for my part of the plan and I have it all written down," said Daniel, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolding it. "I thought I'd suggest the one I use, what do you think?" He leaned over to Hilda "Smell me. Check me out."

Hilda tilted her head close to Daniel's ear and took in a big breath, "Mmm. Yes, that's good, very good, but of course, there is one big problem with it."

"What?" asked Daniel. "It's the best, works every time, guaranteed."

"Well, _obviously_, the problem is that Betty associates it with you, Daniel!" said Hilda. "We can't take the chance of introducing any more confusion here. There is enough of that going on already. You have to get something completely different. Try all the samples on Gio and see what works."

"I don't want Daniel smelling me!" exclaimed Gio with alarm. "I can pick something out myself. This is getting kind of personal, isn't it?"

"For your information you let the nice lady at the counter smell you, not Daniel," said Hilda. "You let her pick. Just make sure it isn't anything like Daniel's cologne. That's important. I better go over the list. Give it to me Daniel. Every detail has to be perfect from ties to chest hair to underwear. Everything!"

"_Underwear!_" shouted Gio, shocked and embarrassed.

"Yes of course, underwear too, we'll get to that in a moment," said Hilda, looking at the list.

Gio looked miserable.

Hilda continued in a cheerful business-like tone, "Alright, let's see what we've got here."


	8. Snacking on Muffins

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 8 – Snacking on Muffins

Gio and Hilda were still sitting at the quiet table in the coffee bar. Hilda was studying the list that Daniel had given her and Daniel was buying muffins for everyone.

Gio stared off into space with a resigned look on his face and waited. He was willing to do anything to get Betty back but this was becoming something like a military operation. And it was torture. He never thought it would come to this. Who would ever expect this?

Daniel placed the muffins down in front of each of them. Gio stared at his bran muffin and remembered that the last muffin he'd shared with Betty was a bran muffin. Was that really only four days ago? He looked down at the muffin sadly and sighed. He wasn't hungry.

Hilda observed Gio's downcast look. Reaching over she cupped his face in her hand and tilted it towards her so she could look at it carefully. Gio was passive. He had given up resisting and he let her do what she wanted.

Hilda said "Look there Daniel. You see that? Gio's exhausted." She stroked his cheek with her thumb and looked at Daniel. "New razor."

Daniel made a note and said "Got it."

Hilda turned back to Gio "Have you been sleeping?"

"Not much." Gio confessed.

"Daniel we have to do something. He's starting to look haggard. We need him to get some rest." Hilda let go of Gio's face.

"I have some good pills. You want those?" Daniel offered.

"No. None of that." Gio refused firmly.

"They are legit. Kind of. Perfectly safe." Daniel said.

"I only eat whole foods. Organic. Nothing else." Gio stated "All natural. That's all that goes into this." Gio gestured at his physique.

"Oh? Good for you. You look pretty buff." Hilda said admiringly. Daniel agreed.

"I work out." Gio said proudly, pleased by their attention.

Gio held up his arm to show off his bicep.

"Arms to die for." said Hilda shaking her head "Do you think Betty needs new glasses? Why can't she see what's right in front of her?"

"Hmm, never thought of that. Maybe?" said Daniel.

"Daniel, make sure you have some short sleeve shirts on your shopping list. And how about a nice black v-neck sweater? Preferably cashmere. Snug."

"That might be a bit hot. Rome can be hot this time of year." Gio countered.

"It must be cooler in the evenings. Cashmere is touchable. So touchable, I'm telling you, it is irresistible."

"I'll pray for cool weather." said Gio.

"That reminds me. You're Catholic?" Hilda asked.

"Yes." Gio answered.

"And you go to church every Sunday?"

Gio paused, and said "Yes?"

Hilda replied "The answer is yes, with no pause. Remember that. You have an interview with Papi coming up, but don't worry about it now. I'll coach you. You got the cashmere sweater Daniel?"

"Yes. It's on there. I've been known to wear that kind of sweater. Looks good. Looks very good with jeans." Daniel said.

"Mmmm. Boy, I am enjoying this. I already know Gio looks good in jeans. Really good. Do you want to stand up Gio and turn around so I can see your nice butt?"

Gio blushed "No, I do not."

"I'll leave that treat for the shop girls then. Too bad for me." Hilda said gaily.

"Let's talk about jewelry." Hilda said. "You seem to wear a lot. A gold chain, a leather cord, a bracelet, a watch, and a ring. Does he have on a bit much Daniel? At least you don't have earrings. That would be pushing it."

"No, I don't wear earrings!" Gio said "But what's wrong with this stuff? I need it. I mean it's an Italian thing. You know. You're not saying I look gay are you?"

"No, I'd say metro-sexual. I think you are hitting it right on." said Daniel.

"God help me." said Gio in a pained tone "I can thank god Daniel is okay with my jewelry."

"But please don't add any more okay? Do we want to talk hair now?" asked Hilda placing her hand on Gio's bristly head.

Gio picked Hilda's hand up and put it back on the table. "No. There's nothing you can do with this, I'm afraid."

"Well, let it grow out for heaven's sake!" said Hilda.

"Are you saying you don't like my ears?" Gio asked coyly.

"Look at this Gio." Hilda ran her fingers through Daniel's hair gently mussing it. Daniel smiled and laughed. Hilda winked at Gio. "Now, this is good hair. See that? This is what we are going for. But there is nothing we can do about it now. Just let it grow, okay?"

"Okay. Okay. Next."

"Ah. Okay, here's a good one. Boxers or briefs? What do you think Daniel?" Hilda said looking at Daniel "I suppose I better go with whatever you think on this one. Although, if it was up to me I'd go with boxers. Not only are they sexy, they are multifunctional. How about silk?"

Gio was speechless.

Daniel pondered the question for a bit. "There are pros and cons to both. What do you think Gio?"

"Oh! I get a _choice_?" Gio said. He was getting a little mortified by the invasive experience. It was way beyond anything he had thought they were going to do when he agreed to let them improve his appearance.

"Like I said, it is going to be hot. We have to keep that in mind." Gio added. He was too shy to reveal his preference in front of Hilda.

Daniel said "Okay. Boxers then. Silk boxers. It's on the list."

Hilda clapped her hands.

Daniel went down the list. "Suit, tie, shirts, shoes. I'll take Gio to my favorite tailor. We can get something good there. The wedding is a godsend Gio. You'll look good in a suit, I'll take care of that, and there's nothing more romantic than a wedding. It will be sure to put Betty into the right mood. It never fails. What about Betty's clothes? Have you thought of that Hilda? She'll need some new dresses. We can't have Gio looking better than she does can we?"

Hilda had thought about this problem. She didn't think there would be enough time in the schedule to fit a shopping trip into the gap between when Betty might decide to go and the flight itself. She thought the best idea was for Betty to buy the dresses in Rome. It's a big city and would have lots of good shopping. It would be good for her to go shopping. Hilda thought shopping was almost as good as therapy. Therefore, the more time she spent shopping the better.

Hilda said "She will have to shop in Rome. Gio, you'll need to ask one of your Aunts over there for suggestions. I'll let Daniel explain how to handle shopping with women when he goes over everything like that."

"_Everything like what?_" Gio asked with a startled look.

Daniel explained "We'll get to it later. No rush. I'll be giving you a little coaching, that's all. Remember, I know Betty pretty well. And other ladies of course. I'll simply be giving you a few tips."

Hilda giggled.

Gio looked back and forth between Daniel and Hilda. They had obviously done a lot of planning. He was grateful, but he felt his privacy was being more than a little invaded. He was even starting to look forward to the shopping trip with Daniel because then he could get away from Hilda's scrutiny.

Hilda said "We're nearly done here. You need to go shopping and I need some time this afternoon to think and prepare for when Betty gets home. I need to work out every possible scenario. I have to map out several contingency plans. I just have to gently guide her into thinking rationally. Gee, when I say it like that it doesn't sound like it should be that hard."

"No. But this is Betty we're talking about. We all know that she is in a very poor state of mind. What are you going to do?" Daniel replied.

"It is called active listening. I've got some experience but this is one tough case. When you do it right the patient doesn't think you did anything. I'll have a good idea how we're doing after tonight's session. If it isn't too late I will call you." Hilda looked at Gio. "Now I'm going to ask Daniel to sit at another table for a few minutes while I ask you some very personal questions. Remember, I still have to deal with Papi."

Gio's eyes widened. He blushed. Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. He looked at Daniel. He gave Daniel a pleading look. Daniel stood up, patted Gio on the shoulder, told him some reassuring words, and moved to the counter in the front of the coffee bar.

Finally Hilda was satisfied and they were ready to leave. Daniel and Gio took the town car and shopped for the rest of the afternoon. Hilda picked up ice cream on the way home.

Later that night Gio woke up to the sound of his cell phone "Hello?" he answered sleepily.

Hilda was excited but she kept her voice low "Hey, sounds like you are getting the beauty sleep you need. We have a big break Gio! I'm going to phone Daniel now. You can expect him to call you in the morning so don't sleep in. Oh, I am so excited I can taste those shoes already. Good night."

Gio put down the phone and smiled. It sounded like very good news. He drifted off to sleep wondering what Hilda meant by tasting shoes.


	9. Putting the kettle on the stove

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 9 – Putting the kettle on the stove

Hilda was glad she was able to give good news to Gio. He needed to get some rest. She hoped he'd get a good night's sleep. She was feeling confident now. She needed to call Daniel. She expected it would be a long call. She and Daniel might have to talk until morning. She busied herself preparing for an all-nighter.

While she got ready for her call with Daniel she thought back to earlier in the day.

Just after she'd put the ice cream away, she pulled out a binder and pen and worked on how she would get to the heart of the problems that Betty was facing. Something was severely distorting her thinking. Hilda was determined to find out what.

She made a cup of tea. She settled herself. She did some stretching and deep breathing. Then she sat and thought. She made notes. She thought and she thought and she made more notes. She did this for the entire afternoon. She had a lot to think about. There were several avenues of investigation. Why was Betty so blind about Gio? There had to be a reason and Hilda was committed to find it out what it was.

It was a fact that she had cajoled a dress and shoes out of Daniel and that Daniel thought that those things were buying her help. But what he didn't know was that she would have been committed without them. But he didn't need to know. It didn't matter. It was sport for her to wheedle those things out of him. It added spice to the game.

She could tell that Gio thought she was flirting with Daniel. Daniel may have thought so too. That didn't matter to her. What they thought and what was really happening were two different things. She didn't care what they thought. They didn't need to know what was really happening.

Months ago Hilda had recognized Gio's interest in Betty. She'd recognized it sooner than he had himself. She knew she might have been able to win him over to herself if she had put her mind to it but that would not have been right.

Hilda knew Gio was for Betty. Betty was a lucky girl. She'd never find another guy like him. Gio was special. He was a prince. Betty's prince. No one besides Gio would have withstood the scrutiny she gave him today. Hilda wished he had a brother. She hoped someone was out there for her. She had a man once and lost him and now she hoped to find a second. She wanted one fervently. But she wouldn't take anyone else's guy.

Daniel was another case. Betty wasn't the only person with unacknowledged feelings. Hilda knew Daniel was suffering the same plight. Hilda could flirt with him now but if she saw him start to turn her way she'd set him straight. Same as she did with Gio. So far he had not. The time for Daniel to become aware of his feelings for that other someone was not here yet.

Betty was a crisis and she had to be tackled now. Hilda never anticipated it would come to this but she was more than prepared to wade in to take steps to resolve the disruption to Betty and Gio's growing relationship. It was going to take some thought and preparation and effort. She would work as hard as she could to get it back on track. But no one needed to know that she was working hard. She knew she was. No one else needed to know. Whether anyone else knew or not wasn't important to her.

She knew people thought that all she did was cut hair in the salon. She knew people thought she was not even all that competent at it. But in her heart of hearts she knew that getting a hair cut was only part of what a person got in a salon. What was important is that they felt better about themselves when they stepped out of her shop. They could think they felt better because of the stylish hair. Hilda knew the reason they felt better included the hair cut, but it was definitely not limited to it. They got to talk. She listened. She knew she was much better than other people at listening. Listening was important. Making people feel better was important. Whether anyone realized the extent of her skill at listening to them and helping them feel better was not important.

Ignacio and Justin were preparing to attend a class on computers at the senior's centre. It was the first one of a set of ten classes. All of the other students would be older people like Ignacio. Ignacio did not like computers. He did not know why he needed to know anything about them. He thought he was too old. That's what he said. Hilda thought that was not a reason. It was not the real reason. Justin's job was to observe Ignacio and discover what was preventing him from wanting to learn. Normally Hilda would have gone but she was busy with Betty tonight. Justin would report back to her later and they would work on a plan. She suspected it would include desensitization but before that could start she needed to find out where the roots of his resistance lay.

Hilda was proud of Justin. She was also a little worried for him. She felt he had some rough times coming up as he got older. She was preparing herself for the inevitable. She would be there for him. She would be carefully and quietly helping him. He wouldn't necessarily know it. But she had no hesitation supporting and encouraging him to be the person he was meant to be. That person may or may not be who she would choose but it was his life. He had to be true to himself. She enjoyed the happy boy she had now while she prepared for the time when she might have to support him to keep him traveling on the path he was destined to be on.

Hilda, Ignacio and Justin had dinner together. Sitting down together for their family meals was a delight to them all. They were a small family of meager means but they were close and they were happy. They enjoyed each other's company. This was a special environment. They all knew it was something very special. It didn't necessarily happen by accident.

Hilda knew happy families didn't happen by accident. People may think that wealth and status were necessary to make them happy but she had observed ample evidence to the contrary. The warmth and happiness of a family was not at all related to the size of a paycheck.

Soon it was time for Ignacio and Justin to leave. Ignacio tried to avoid it. He said he was too tired, he said he needed to wash the dishes, he said his favorite show was on the television. There was a long list of reasons why he couldn't go. Hilda countered each one telling him why it wasn't a good enough reason to stay home. Eventually Ignacio stopped trying to avoid it and left with Justin. Hilda kissed and hugged Justin as he went out the door.

Hilda put the binder of notes on the kitchen table. She put a kettle on the stove. She put a box of tissues on the coffee table in the living room. She readied herself for Betty's arrival. Hilda was naturally curious to find out was going on in Betty's mind. She was concerned for her sister. She'd talked with her a few times already and made a little progress but she had not discovered the root of the problem yet. This was a tough case. She had taken care to do everything within her power to be ready for tonight.

Hilda waited at the front window watching for the town car. It arrived shortly after seven. Daniel Jr. hopped out and accompanied Betty to the front door. Daniel Jr. thanked Betty for helping him find a tutor, said goodnight to her and returned to the car.

Hilda waited just inside the door. Betty entered and immediately threw her arms around Hilda and burst into tears.


	10. Breaking for Ice Cream

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 10 – Breaking for Ice Cream

Hilda led the sobbing Betty into the living room and sat her on the sofa. She put the box of tissues within her reach and went to the kitchen. She prepared the tea and she got out the ice cream. She stopped to look at her binder that was sitting open on the kitchen table. She glanced at a couple of pages.

Hilda set out the tea and bowls of ice cream on the coffee table and sat across from Betty.

Betty had been with Daniel Jr. all day and the stress of keeping up a normal appearance had worn her out. The outburst of tears was a natural release of tension after trying to act normal when she felt far from normal. Once it was over she dried her tears and started to feel better. They drank tea and ate ice cream and Hilda asked Betty how her day was.

Betty enjoyed the tea and dessert with Hilda.

Betty described how she had been pleasantly surprised by Daniel Jr.'s behavior that day. Normally he could be a handful. He was a boyish immature version of his father and Daniel was a boyish immature man. Daniel Jr. could often be difficult. But he wasn't today. He didn't run off, he didn't act out, he didn't bother her. He was quite the opposite. He was good. He stuck to her like glue not leaving her side. At lunch he was polite and well mannered. He waited patiently outside the door when Betty washed her hands after lunch. She took a long time because she broke down and cried and then had to force herself back to a semblance of normalcy. Daniel Jr. did not comment on the length of time she took or give any sign that he had heard anything unusual. Betty saw proof today that Daniel Jr. would eventually grow into a charming and well-liked man like Daniel.

Hilda asked Betty about how she was feeling. She asked Betty to describe what she was thinking about. Betty's primary feeling was one of sadness. She also felt disappointment and hurt. She was sorry that Gio was not the man she thought he was but she wasn't as angry at him now for not being that man. She was sorry about it. She wished things had turned out differently. She was sad. She missed the Gio that was her friend. She missed him intensely. She was becoming resigned to moving on.

Betty was sad. When Betty was sad she often remembered sad and upsetting events from her past. Hilda knew this was typical for most people and expected it. Some people might think that Betty led a charmed life and never had anything bad happen to her. Some people might think that the bad things that happened to Betty were insignificant.

Betty was loved. She was fed. She had a home. But everyone - including people who are loved, fed and sheltered - has problems. They have things that they don't like about themselves. They have memories of events they wish they could forget. And Hilda knew Betty would be like that too.

Bad memories from past events add confusion to your mind. They cloud people's thinking. People can go from sad to sadder as the painful emotions dredge up sad or disturbing memories from the past. Hilda wanted to clear away what she could. She wanted to help Betty think more clearly. She needed to rid Betty of the bad memories that were hindering her thinking.

Hilda asked Betty to talk about some other things that were bothering her. She asked Betty to tell her about things on her mind that would not normally be bothering her.

Betty said she was upset that she couldn't give her orthodontist the smile that he desperately wanted. She felt like she had let him down. Up to then she had been his ideal patient. She was proud of it. Now she wasn't. This made her feel bad.

Hilda pointed out how many years she had worn braces. Hilda pointed out how many years she was likely to have beautiful, picture perfect teeth. Hilda explained that the orthodontist could get his picture later, in a week or month or two months. Hilda said it wouldn't matter to them if they got the picture now or later. Betty felt better. She was a reasonable person. She knew she'd smile again. She knew she'd be able to give them the smile they wanted some day. When Betty realized she would be able to give the orthodontist what he wanted she felt better. Hilda asked Betty to let go of this sadness. Betty let it go and she felt better.

Hilda asked Betty to tell her about something else on her mind.

Betty recalled an upsetting event from when she was in her multicultural club at the junior high school. She had made a girl cry.

Betty was proud of being a nice person and she was one of the organizers of the club so she was devastated when she made this young foreign girl who had come to the club for the first time so upset she had left in tears. Hilda asked to hear the whole story. Hilda had not heard this story before. Betty had not told this story to anyone before.

There wasn't much to the story. The girl had arrived at the club and Betty had greeted her as she always greeted newcomers. Betty asked her about where she came from and she asked her about her family and home back there. The girl had suddenly burst into tears and run away. No one else was in the room so no one else saw it happen. Betty never saw the girl again. She still felt sorry for the girl and she still regretted not finding her and making friends with her. When she was sad she would often recall the girl and it made her feel bad.

Hilda was concerned. This was a difficult bad memory. She knew she didn't have enough time to devote to it that it deserved. She could only deal with it lightly. She knew that Betty would not be able to let go of this one easily. It was bound to surface again in the future but Hilda hoped that it wouldn't pain Betty quite as much the next time. They talked about the girl and they discussed possible reasons for her behavior and Betty felt somewhat better. Betty also felt better because her shameful secret wasn't a secret anymore.

Hilda asked for another one. Betty described a time she had lost a library book. It was a very beautiful book. It was a large size with colorful artistic illustrations and it didn't fit into her backpack so she was carrying it in her hands. She put it down beside her on the subway seat. Just as she stepped out of the subway car she realized she didn't have it but the doors closed and she could not retrieve it. It never turned up in the lost and found. Other than that book she had a perfect record of returning books to the library. She later gave the library money for a replacement book from her own pocket. It made her sad that she lost such a beautiful book and she felt bad that she had ruined her reputation with the library.

Hilda asked Betty to describe what she thought happened to the book. Betty thought someone had taken it. Hilda asked Betty if she would ever buy a book and give it to a stranger. Betty said that of course she would, she did, since she often gave donations of books to charity. Hilda said that losing the library book was like a random act of kindness. She had given a very nice book to a stranger on the subway. She gave it to someone who wanted it. She paid the library for it so it was her book to give away. Hilda asked Betty to let this one go and Betty did. She liked the idea of doing random acts of kindness. She was feeling better.

Just then Ignacio and Justin entered the house. Hilda and Betty went to greet them. Justin reported that Ignacio was upset when he had to hold a mouse to use the computer. Ignacio explained that where he came from mice were dirty filthy rodents that ruin food and make a mess and have to be kept out of the house at all costs. Hilda and Justin exchanged glances. Hilda thought that the computer jargon was upsetting for Ignacio. And Ignacio, like any normal person, could not learn when he was upset.

Ignacio complained that he was tired from all the strange and confusing things he did in the class and went to bed. Justin said he had homework and left.

Betty was feeling better. Betty was tired. She thought she might be able to get a good night's sleep finally. She was eager to get a good night's sleep.

Hilda did not let Betty go to bed. They still had much to cover. They couldn't leave it for another day. There wasn't any time to waste and they were just getting started. Hilda sat Betty back on the sofa. She went into the kitchen and turned to the next page in the binder and read it for a few moments. Then she went back into the living room and sat across from Betty.

Hilda looked at Betty who was sitting comfortably on the sofa and said "Let's talk about Gio."


	11. Telling Stories

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 11 – Telling Stories

Hilda and Betty were sitting in the living room. Betty was sitting on the sofa with a moist tissue in her hand and Hilda was sitting opposite her. Hilda was determined to get the root of the reason why Betty had broken up with Gio and never wanted to see him again.

Hilda asked Betty about Gio. Betty resisted talking about him at first but Hilda convinced her that talking would be a good idea. She reminded Betty how much better she felt about the orthodontist photo and lost library book after they talked about them. Betty relented. Betty agreed to answer Hilda's questions.

Hilda asked Betty all kinds of questions. Some were mundane and some were unusual. They ranged over events that spanned months. Hilda skipped forward and back in time, apparently randomly. At all times Hilda invited Betty to describe her feelings when she told of her encounters with Gio.

Betty was reluctant to provide all the details at first but became more descriptive as she went along. Hilda guided her from first meeting Gio to subsequent experiences. Some events Betty did not recall well. They were hazy. She had little recollection. Some events were not sharp in her mind.

Other events she recalled vividly. The kiss in the deli was an event that Betty recalled in perfect detail. Hilda had Betty describe it while explaining her feelings as the events unfolded. They came back to this story several times over the course of the evening. Each time Betty told the story of the kiss it was exactly the same. This story was etched into her mind.

Hilda heard of the many times that Gio had encouraged Betty to write and to stand up for herself. He always had time to listen to Betty. She heard he took her to the park to teach her how to hit a baseball. She heard how attentive he was when Betty showed him the magazine with her article in it. Hilda heard about the free cookie coupons he gave her after he started his new job. She heard that Gio jokingly asked her if he was a gentle lover. She heard he wrapped his arm around her uninvited when they were at the theater watching Wicked.

Hilda heard all the details of their fight after the baseball game. Betty told it word for word. They went over every step, movement, gesture, look, and touch. Hilda listened to every extraneous detail about the events that Betty told her. She also listened carefully to hear what Betty didn't say.

Betty and Hilda talked about the junior high dance more than once. They talked about the carriage ride and the fireworks. They talked about the broken deli window and the visit to the doctor and the sandwich that tasted like purple. Betty told her about Henry punching Gio. They talked about Gio's romantic suggestions when he described how he would listen to music on the roof of the Blue Note and eat ice cream off a girl's stomach.

Betty told Hilda everything she could remember. Hilda interrupted Betty often to ask for more details and to remind her to explain her feelings as the events happened. Eventually Hilda narrowed her questions to three significant events. The deli kiss, the dance and the fight. Hilda learned everything she could about the three stories.

The story of the deli kiss went like this: Betty was sitting at the counter sipping water from a water bottle. Gio was joking with her and she was laughing. Gio gave Betty a black and white cookie. Betty thought she might be falling in love with Gio. Then Gio told her she was flirting with him and stalking him while he came out from behind the counter and walked to the case filled with cold drinks. She stood up and turned around to tell him he was insane. He turned and advanced towards her. Gio continued talking. He told her that she wanted him. Betty protested. She protested in a voice that was rising higher and higher in pitch as he approached. She was standing with the sandwich counter to her back, a wall on one side, a bag of sandwiches in her hand and Gio directly in front of her. The look in Gio's eyes held her transfixed. Mid-sentence Gio pounced on her. He held her head firmly with his hands and kissed her. He kissed her hard. She felt his tongue. She soon pushed Gio away. They stood face to face. Gio stared at her with an intense look. Betty slapped Gio and ran out of the deli. She paused outside the door of the deli to recover her composure. The next time Betty saw Gio he did not acknowledge that she had slapped him and run away. He did not apologize for the surprise kiss. It was quite the contrary; he said she wanted the kiss. He said she liked it. He said she frenched him.

The story of the dance went like this: Betty was sitting in the stands talking with little Betty. She heard an announcement come over the speakers. It was Gio asking Betty to dance. He strode directly to her through the other dancers. Betty's heart skipped a beat when she saw Gio coming for her. She stood up and let Gio lead her to the dance floor. Gio laughed and held her lightly for a few steps. Then his gaze grew serious and intent on her. She turned her face away to avoid the look he had in his eyes. Gio spun her around and pulled her back to him. He clasped her tightly in his arms so she was forced to look at him. They stared intently at each other with their faces just inches apart. Gio's eyes shone with raw animal desire. Betty said "I can't" and tore out of Gio's arms and ran to the doorway and left. She went to a secluded staircase and cried. Gio followed her there. Gio talked to her gently and cheered her up.

The story of the fight went like this: Betty was sitting talking to Henry. She was very saddened to hear of his infant son's illness. When Henry left Gio came and sat beside her. Gio held her, comforted her and stroked her hair. Betty thought of what she would say to Gio. She was sorry she would have to disappoint him because she had decided not to go to Rome. As she was thinking about what to say to Gio he suddenly placed his hand on her body where it did not belong. She wanted him to stop but she couldn't make him understand. She finally shouted "Get off of me!" Then she stood up and told him she didn't want to go to Rome. Gio made a vulgar suggestion and begged her to go to Rome with him. She became angry and told Gio to leave. Gio left after declaring that he was finished waiting for her to become his girlfriend.

For each of these stories Hilda was told a version that included all the sights and sounds. Each one was a perfect quality rendition. Betty's memories of these events were vivid and detailed. And the stories that Hilda heard were even better than if she'd been watching them on film. She saw the events from Betty's viewpoint. The stories she heard included many extra details. She could smell the fragrance inside the deli. She could hear the sound of the ticking clock. She could feel the vibration of the ventilation system. And the stories Hilda heard also included all of Betty's thoughts and feelings. It was as if Hilda were Betty. The stories were very long but Betty told them the same way each time.

By the end of the evening Hilda had gained the insight into Betty's mind that she sought.

Then Hilda talked to Betty about her day and other events. She led the discussion into other directions. They talked about neutral things. Hilda tried to help Betty relax so that she would be ready for bed. Hilda wanted Betty to sleep well. They talked for some time this way. Betty had gotten very upset a number of times in the evening and Hilda spent a lot of time calming her back down.

Finally Hilda let Betty go to bed.

All evening Betty had remained as steadfast as she had been before that she did not ever want to see Gio again. She was adamant. Hilda had wondered why. Now she knew the answer. The answer was in the three stories. Now she needed time to think about what to do with the answer. There was still much to think about.

She called Gio and gave him a short but hopeful message.

She thought for a while and then she picked up the phone to call Daniel.


	12. Listening

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 12 – Listening

Hilda and Daniel talked on the phone for several hours. Hilda asked Daniel to pick her up in his town car in the morning. Then they would pick up Gio. The three of them needed to get together first thing in the morning.

Hilda had discovered an important piece of information from her long session with Betty and they needed to formulate a plan. When they had made a plan they would immediately have to start carrying it out. There was no time to waste. She could not predict how long it might take to work, assuming it would even work at all.

The next morning when the three of them were in the car Daniel asked the driver to take them to a park and drive around it. The car drove slowly. The car circled and re-circled the park's roads.

Hilda explained in general terms to Gio about her session with Betty. She encouraged him to feel optimistic. She refrained from telling him any details though. She did not reveal to him what the central problem was. She was holding that back from him.

Gio was still a bit traumatized from his session with her yesterday. Hilda worked to relax Gio. They made small talk. Hilda and Daniel acted confident. They acted more confident than they felt. Once Gio was relaxed and comfortable Hilda signaled to Daniel.

Daniel asked the driver to stop the car at a quiet parking lot in the middle of the park. Daniel and driver got out of the car. They stood beside the car on the side that Gio was sitting on. Hilda had told Daniel that she did not want Gio to leave the car.

Hilda and Gio were alone in the car sitting beside each other on the seat. Hilda and Gio sat in silence for some minutes. Gio was waiting for Hilda to start. He didn't know what she would start, only that she would start something.

Finally Hilda said that she would be leading Gio though an exercise in empathy. Hilda would tell him a story and Gio would respond. The rules were that Gio would respond by telling her the name of the emotion felt by the character he was assigned to. Gio was relaxed. He thought that he would be good at this exercise.

In the car ride they had been listening to music. The last song they heard was a love song. The male singer's voice was low and smooth. He was singing his innermost feelings for his true love. Hilda asked Gio what emotion the singer was expressing. Gio answered easily: love.

Hilda said that the exercise was like that only longer. She would assign his character and tell a story. She would pause and he would say the name of an emotion. That was the whole of the instructions.

The first story Hilda would tell would be about a cat and a mouse. In this story Gio was to tell her the emotions of the mouse as if the mouse had human emotions. Hilda started to tell the story.

"The mouse is in a quiet meadow. The sun is shining. The mouse is eating tasty food." Hilda paused. Gio said "contentment".

"The mouse detected the scent of a cat." Hilda paused. Gio said "nervousness".

"The mouse saw the cat. The cat circled around the mouse keeping his eyes fixed on him." Hilda paused. Gio said "fear".

"The cat pounced and grabbed the mouse firmly in its paws." Hilda paused. Gio said "panic".

"The mouse struggled to free itself." Hilda paused. Gio said "fear and panic".

"The mouse escaped the grip of the cat and ran away." Hilda paused. Gio said "relief".

Hilda told Gio that he did well. He was very empathetic to the mouse. He could describe what the mouse was feeling well. Gio was happy but he was a little puzzled about why he was doing this empathy exercise. It was easy though and he readily agreed to another story.

The second story was about a deer in a forest. Gio was to name the emotions the deer was feeling. Hilda told the story.

"The deer is eating delicious leaves from a tree." Hilda paused. Gio said "happy and contented".

"The deer heard a sound and looked up to see a familiar male deer, a buck, approaching. The buck came to eat from the same tree." Hilda paused. Gio said "happy and friendly".

"The buck suddenly turned into a cougar. The cougar looked at the deer with hunger in his eyes." Hilda paused. Gio said "surprise and fear".

"The cougar chased the deer and it caught the deer's hoof in its teeth." Hilda paused. Gio said "panic".

"The deer struggled to free itself and then ran away to a secluded glade." Hilda paused. Gio said "relief".

"The cougar chased the deer but it had changed back into the buck by the time it caught up to it." Hilda paused. Gio said "confusion and relief" giving the words a tentative inflection.

Again, Hilda told Gio that he did well. He was very empathetic to the deer. He could describe what the deer was feeling very well

Hilda started on a third story. Gio was feeling confident and relaxed. In the third story Gio was a girl.

"The girl is sitting on a park bench and she is thinking about her friend's baby who is sick." Hilda paused. Gio said "sad".

"Sitting beside the girl is her favorite uncle. The uncle had his arm around her and he was stroking her hair." Hilda paused. Gio said "comforted".

"The girl was thinking about something she needed to say to her uncle that she knew he would not like to hear." Hilda paused. Gio said "apprehensive".

"The uncle touched the girl with his hand." Hilda said where the uncle touched the girl. It was the same place that Gio had touched Betty before their fight. Hilda paused. Gio looked at Hilda with alarm. Gio said "shocked".

"The girl wanted her uncle to stop touching her but she was so shocked that she couldn't say it." Hilda paused. Gio kept his eyes on Hilda's face. Gio whispered "powerless".

"The girl finally told the uncle to stop and he did. But his arms were still wrapped tightly around her." Hilda paused. Gio looked stricken. Gio felt nauseous. Gio said "trapped".

"The girl shouted 'Get off of me!'" Hilda paused. Gio clenched his fists in his lap. He said "anger".

"The uncle said 'What do you mean?'" Hilda paused. Gio said "Good god. No, no, _no_. _Stop! _I didn't know. I didn't think. I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

Gio was frantic. Gio realized that he had been describing Betty's feelings. All three stories were about Betty. He now understood what Betty was feeling during their fight. Her words were no longer a mystery.

And he had puzzled over why she had run from him at the dance. Now he knew why she did. He'd agonized over why she'd slapped him in the deli. Now he knew why. Now he knew he deserved it.

He realized that Betty sometimes felt fear and panic when he was near and relief when she ran away from him. He never wanted her to feel that way about him. He needed time to think.

Gio wanted to get out of the car. He wanted to get away from Hilda. Hilda told him that Daniel would not let him out of the car so he stopped trying. Gio looked sickened. He stared out the window. His hands were clenched into fists on his lap.

He couldn't get away. He couldn't get away from the guilt and shame of what he'd done to Betty. He felt embarrassed. He felt despair. He felt hopeless He felt terrible that he had made her feel that way. He was repulsed and disgusted by himself. There was no doubt in his mind that his ill conceived actions had frightened the woman he loved, his dear sweet shy Betty. He had assaulted her. It was nothing short of that. And he had done it more than once. He was devastated by the revelation.

Tears pricked at Gio's eyes. He turned away from Hilda and covered his face with his hands. Gio started to cry. Hilda put her arm around him comfortingly. She didn't say anything. She let Gio cry as long as he needed.

After a while Gio's tears subsided. He wiped his face with the back of his hand. He looked morose. He sat still. He wanted go to Betty. He wanted to apologize to her and to beg her for forgiveness. He wanted to see her but he wouldn't blame her if she refused to see him. Gio looked down at his hands. He quietly whispered a word to Hilda. Gio whispered the word "Help."

Hilda signaled to Daniel. Daniel slid into the back seat on the other side of Gio. The three of them were seated side by side. The driver got back into the car and Daniel asked him to drive around the park some more.

Hilda held Gio's hand and Daniel put his arm around Gio's shoulders. They were silent. They continued this way for some time. Gio had a lot to think about and they were letting him think. Gio was recalling past events and reinterpreting them. His old memories were starting to mean different things to him now than they did before. It took time for him to go through the memories and process the changes. He came to see that what he had been doing to try to encourage the passionate woman inside her to come out was instead driving Betty away. Gio was amazed that Daniel and Hilda were sympathetic to him. He was not. He felt unworthy. She was innocent and he was guilty.

Gio and Betty had many things in common. They were good friends because they liked and cared about similar things. They both liked to read books. They both had goals. They both imagined better things for themselves. They both loved food. They both liked to look on the bright side. They both expected to work hard in life but have fun too. They both liked the simple pleasures in life. They both came from happy families. They both treasured their families. They both loved kids.

They had so many compatible traits that their friends including Daniel and Hilda thought they would make an ideal couple. Some of their friends had wondered why they weren't already a couple.

But Betty and Gio had one thing between them that was incompatible. A lot of couples will have one or two or more things that are incompatible and still get along well. But this wasn't that kind of thing. This thing had to be compatible or the couple could never be together. It was a deal breaker.

Gio and Betty were very different people in this one trait. In this trait Gio was brash, open and confident. In this trait Betty was shy, timid and modest. It was a trait that no one outside of the couple would ever see because it was something that was displayed only in private.

Because of this difference Betty was sometimes scared of Gio.

Some people might not be surprised to hear she was scared by Gio. They might think she was scared of him because he pushed her to achieve. Gio made her face challenges. But Betty liked challenges. Gio did push and challenge Betty but this was not what scared her.

Some people might think Betty was scared by Gio because he asked for a commitment she wasn't willing or able to give. But this was not true. If Betty found the man she wanted she would have no hesitation making a commitment. She thought the age she was, twenty-four, was a perfectly reasonable age to get married. She thought she was mature enough to get married. The commitment of marriage did not scare her.

No, Betty wasn't scared of Gio for either of those reasons.

Betty was scared of Gio because of the passion she aroused in him.

Betty wasn't the kind of girl that would flirt with and tease a man and enjoy it when they showed interest. There are lots of girls like that but Betty wasn't one of them. Betty was not pleased to see a man joke and tease about certain things. And Gio joked and teased about exactly those kinds of things she was most uncomfortable about.

As Gio and Betty grew closer she saw more and more often the effect that she had on him. More and more often she was alarmed by the effect. She was afraid of the sudden change in his manner.

Gio's manner could change quickly from a friendly one to an amorous one. This is what scared Betty. Betty could not tell when it would happen. It was sudden and unexpected. There was no warning. It was unwelcome. Being surprised by the amorous behavior of Gio was not something Betty could handle. It made her run away.

But despite causing Betty to run away Gio did not realize that displaying his passion for her was unwelcome. He didn't figure it out. He had misinterpreted what she was feeling. He realized now that he had scared her and that he had scared her repeatedly.

Betty decided she had to get away from Gio. Betty could not go to Rome with Gio. She thought she would never feel comfortable when she was alone with him.

And she thought she could never be relaxed when he may turn up around the next corner at work. That is why she planned to quit her job. She had to get away from Gio. She thought it was the only way she would feel safe again.

Gio and Betty were on the opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to the way they would display affection to a lover. They were polar opposites. In private Gio would be passionate and openly amorous but Betty would be cool and reserved.

In short, in the bedroom Gio was a hot red-blooded Italian stallion and Betty was a shy pink my little pony.

It was just the way they were. Hilda knew this now. But Hilda also knew they could change. Hilda was determined to make them change.

Hilda had a plan.

The plan had many parts. And each one had to succeed. Each one had to succeed quickly. It would be a challenge. It was a big challenge.

The next part of the plan would take place at the Meade building. Daniel was going to go to his office and talk to Betty. Hilda had worked out a script for Daniel overnight. Now it was time for him to play his part. Daniel went into the building while Hilda and Gio sat in the car parked in front of the deli. Hilda and Gio still had things to talk about.

Daniel greeted Betty at her desk in front of his office. Betty's desk was tidied. Her shelves were tidied. She was prepared to move out. Daniel greeted Betty and she smiled at him. But Betty's smile was a fake. Her expression looked more like a grimace than a smile.

Betty followed Daniel into his office. She shut and locked the door. Daniel saw her lock the door and looked at her questioningly.

Betty had a fierce look. She said accusingly to Daniel "_Why did I find out from Christina that you gave a dress to Hilda two days ago?_"

Daniel was alarmed. He stared at Betty. This was definitely not in his script.


	13. Splitting a sandwich

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 13 – Splitting a sandwich

Daniel gulped. He stalled. He did not know how to respond to Betty's question. Neither Hilda nor himself had anticipated that Betty would learn of the dress he gave Hilda. Neither of them had thought about what to do if she did.

Daniel silently chastised himself. He tried to think of what he should do. He knew that Betty would be angry at him if she discovered that he was interfering in her life. He knew this from their talk. She had made him promise he would not interfere.

Daniel was worried. He knew that Betty had already banned a very good friend, Gio, from her life. He knew she was already preparing to leave his employ. Daniel was afraid she would ban him from her life as well. He knew she was capable of doing it.

But Daniel treasured their friendship and he would be adrift if he lost it. Losing her friendship would be worse, far worse, than merely losing her as his assistant. He couldn't tell her the truth. He tried to think of what to say. He was panicked. He finally thought of something to say.

Daniel said "Oh, Betty. Betty. I am sorry you had to find out this way. I am so sorry. You see what's happened is that Hilda and I are seeing each other. It has nothing to do with you."

Betty glared at Daniel. Daniel knew he was taking a risk. Betty was as likely to hate him either way. But he was short of ideas. This was the best he could come up with.

Daniel said "I didn't want to tell you. You are going through such a bad time with Gio right now that I didn't think it was fair for you to know of our happiness. I am so sorry. Please don't be mad at me."

Daniel was heaping lie upon lie. He was trying to dig himself out of a hole that he'd fallen into. It was a hole that he had not seen coming. The lies he was telling her now were incompatible with the script that Hilda had written for him. He was shutting the door on that and he didn't know what he would do instead. This explanation was not getting him where he needed to go. It was merely his attempt to avert disaster.

Betty said angrily "I can't believe _Hilda_ would take up with you! You … you … my god _Daniel_. You know what you are! _And she does too!_"

Daniel said "No, Betty. I care for Hilda. I wouldn't treat her like that. Please believe me. You have to believe me."

Daniel's cell phone rang. He looked at it distractedly. He answered it. It was Claire. Daniel spoke into the phone "Hi Mom, can I call you back? This isn't a good time." Claire answered in the affirmative but while she talked Daniel thought of an idea. Daniel continued "Oh, I see. Yes. A really important call? Of course, I see I must take it. Can you hold?" Claire was confused. She had assured Daniel her call was not important and that it could wait but Daniel didn't listen. He told her to hold while he covered the phone and spoke to Betty.

Daniel said "Betty, I have to take this call. Please wait at your desk. I want to speak to you as soon as I can. Unfortunately this is unavoidable. I'll try to keep it short. Don't go anywhere, okay?"

Betty left the room. Daniel watched her as she sat down at her desk and stared glumly out the window.

Daniel spoke to Claire "Hi, I'm sorry about that. I have a situation with Betty. It's a very bad situation. I need to talk to you. You have to help me."

Hilda and Gio were in the town car parked in front of the deli. Gio was crushed. He was despondent. He wondered how he could have been so blind to Betty's feelings. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to do. He was afraid he'd never see Betty again. He begged Hilda to help him.

Hilda sent Gio into the deli to get them sandwiches. When he returned she told the driver to take them to her house. They were going to see Ignacio.

During the drive Hilda went over with Gio in plain language what was wrong between him and Betty. He had misread her. Hilda was helping him to understand Betty's feelings and her reactions. Gio needed to learn her signals. And he needed to restrain his impulses. He had overwhelmed her with his affection. Hilda was changing Gio's behavior towards Betty.

Gio had had a severe shock during the empathy exercise. He'd been cut to the quick by it. Hilda had cut through any instinctive defensiveness Gio may have had. Hilda had bypassed any natural resistance or denial he may have had. He was now optimally receptive to her suggestions. And she had gotten him to this point in a time span that could be measured in minutes.

She worked quickly to make the changes to his thinking that he needed. She worked swiftly and with surgical precision. But there is no anesthetic for this kind of surgery. Hilda was as fast and precise as she could be but to Gio it still hurt like hell.

Then Hilda ate her sandwich and prepared Gio for his interview with Ignacio. Gio didn't eat.

Ignacio had been apprised of the situation by Hilda earlier. He knew everything that had occurred. He knew about Daniel and Hilda trying to repair Betty's relationship with Gio. He knew what Daniel knew. He knew what Hilda knew. He knew what they had learned from Betty and Gio. But Ignacio was concerned for his daughter. Betty's happiness was his primary concern. It was his only concern.

Hilda and Gio entered the house together. Ignacio was seated at the kitchen table waiting for them. Hilda put Gio's sandwich in the fridge. Gio sat down at the table across from Ignacio. Hilda went to her shop. Soon they heard the quiet murmur of Hilda and a customer talking.

Gio was waiting for Ignacio to start. Gio was nervous. The two men quietly eyed each other.

Ignacio was the father of a beloved daughter. Gio was the prospective boyfriend of the daughter. There really wasn't that much for them to discuss.

Ignacio asked simply "Gio, what are your intentions?"

Gio answered simply "I love her. I want to marry her. If I thought she'd accept I would propose to her today."

That was what Ignacio needed to hear. And he had to hear it from Gio. Now he had heard it he was relieved. Ignacio jumped up, clapped Gio on the back and offered him coffee. Gio readily accepted and Ignacio busied himself making coffee and putting out a plate of cookies. Gio divided his sandwich between them. When Hilda returned she was pleased to see they were both relaxed and talking pleasantly while eating together.

Hilda was satisfied with her part of the plan. She wondered how Daniel was doing with his part.

Daniel was on the phone explaining the situation with Betty to Claire. He begged her to help and Claire eagerly agreed. Daniel explained everything he knew. He told her what he'd learned from Betty. He told her what he had learned from Gio. He told her of his fear of losing Betty.

Claire was as concerned as Daniel. Claire loved Betty and she wanted her to stay at Meade. And Betty's happiness was important to Claire. Claire owed her freedom to Betty. She would not have thought of it as an exaggeration to say she owed her life to Betty. Claire had to take care of Betty.

Claire learned from Daniel all about Gio and she became determined to help them get back together. Daniel told her about Gio asking Betty to go to Rome with him. He told her how he had offered them a free trip there. He told her about Betty's fight with Gio. Claire listened and discussed the problem with Daniel. They tried to cover as many of the details as they could while not taking up too much time.

Daniel confessed to Claire of his botched plan to change Betty's mind about Gio and the trip. Daniel described the details of Hilda's plan. Claire promised to come up a new plan. Claire knew how to fix things. She knew she was good at it. She knew she was much better at it than Daniel. Claire immediately took charge of the situation. Daniel told her that whatever she did she was to not reveal to Betty what she had learned from him. He was desperate to keep Betty from learning that he was interfering in her life.

Claire told Daniel she would take Betty away to talk. He was to do nothing but wait until she called him. Claire told Daniel that she would tell Betty that he had to have a long call with a lawyer about Daniel Jr. Betty would believe that.

Daniel ended the call with Claire and pretended to make another call. He pretended he was talking to the lawyer. Betty could see that Daniel was on the phone and she continued to wait for him.

Claire went to Betty's desk. She explained to her that Daniel was busy on the phone and would be busy for a long while. She invited Betty to go with her to a private lounge located on the top floor of the building. She told her that Daniel knew where they would be.

When they reached the lounge it was mid-afternoon. The view from the floor to ceiling windows was spectacular. The city was picture perfect below them. Everything was bathed in warm sunshine. Claire put some cheese and crackers on a plate for them to share. She poured a glass of wine for Betty and sparkling water for herself. They sat in some comfortable chairs.

Once they were settled Claire asked Betty how she was. Betty was unable to answer. She had no answer. She was using all her energy to keep her feelings hidden.

Claire waited.

Betty loved and respected Claire more than anyone. She wished she could be like her. She was proud to know her. She wanted to learn from her.

Betty started to talk.

She told Claire that she had tried to take her suggestion to take risks to heart. She had failed miserably at it. The very first risk she took, the one in which she said yes to a trip to Rome with Gio, had exploded in her face. She had gotten cold feet and because of it she had destroyed her friendship with Gio. And she had to leave the job she loved. And she wouldn't get to go to Rome ever. It was a disaster. She didn't know who to blame for it.

She was angry. She was confused. She was heartsick. She was a mess.

Claire encouraged Betty to talk. Claire let Betty talk as long as she needed. She let her talk until she had nothing more to say. Betty was more distressed than she'd ever been in her life and she did not know what to do about it.

Then they sat in silence for a few minutes. Claire got up and refilled the plate of cheese and crackers. She refilled their glasses. Claire settled back into her chair and looked at Betty.

Claire had considered her options. She had thought over how she could change Betty's mind about Gio. Her options were limited by Daniel's insistence that she not reveal anything to Betty she didn't already know. Claire had thought it over carefully and she had made a decision.

Claire said "Betty, I'm going to tell you a story about myself that no one else alive knows."


	14. A story never before told

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 14 – A story never before told

Claire was about to tell Betty a story about herself that no one else alive knew. She swore Betty to secrecy. She told Betty she could never to reveal the story to anyone. Not anyone. Not even Daniel.

Claire's story started decades ago when she was a young society debutante. It was an exciting time in her life. She came from a privileged family with many connections. Her life was filled with ease, comfort and enjoyable parties.

It was during this time that Claire met Bradford Meade. She was instantly attracted to him. It was a case of love at first sight. She had met many young gentlemen before but this was different. She was smitten.

Bradford was a handsome young man. He came from a wealthy family. He had the best background. He had the best education. He was ambitious. He was smart. He showed all the signs of his future success. He was her ideal beau.

It didn't take long for Bradford to notice Claire. She was always at the right parties. She was beautiful. She was always dressed elegantly. She always made sure that he noticed her. She was chasing Bradford but she didn't let him or anyone else know she was.

Soon the couple became an item. They were seen together. Their friends noticed. And their parents noticed.

During this time an unfortunate event happened. Because of an indiscretion with Bradford Claire became pregnant by him. She was pregnant but she didn't tell Bradford.

As a woman of high social standing getting pregnant was a huge mistake. She alone was responsible. It was her duty to prevent it and she failed.

The only person she told was her father. He did not allow her to tell anyone else. It was intolerable to him to allow her to have a baby out of wedlock. It simply could not be allowed to happen.

Her father gave her two choices. One was to beg Bradford or someone else to marry her immediately and the other was to terminate the pregnancy. As a well connected man he could procure this procedure for her and no one would ever know of it.

Claire was torn.

She was just in the beginning stages of her relationship with Bradford. She did not know him well. She sincerely hoped to marry him but she was not at all convinced he wanted to marry her. She was afraid that if she revealed the truth to him he would not marry her.

She thought he would think that she was trying to trap him into marriage. She thought he would despise and scorn her. She was very afraid he would have this reaction to the news. She was sure his family would. She was convinced he would leave her if she told him. And she certainly could not imagine marrying anyone else. No, marriage was not a viable option.

But the other option was horrible. She loved Bradford and this was his baby. It was inconceivable that she could choose to get rid of it. How could she bring herself to kill Bradford's baby? It was impossible.

She considered both options. She agonized over them. She begged her father for other options. Her father was unyielding. The choice was hers but there were only two choices.

Claire was worried that if she spoke to Bradford and he rejected her she would have to terminate the pregnancy anyway. She became convinced that the loss of the baby was inevitable.

Claire chose termination. Once she had made her choice it happened quickly. It was done. There was no going back. Only her father knew of it.

After a few days of feigned illness Claire continued on as before. No one suspected anything, not even Bradford.

One year later Bradford proposed to Claire. She was ecstatic. It was the answer to her prayers. She loved Bradford and he loved her. Everything was right. Everything was perfect.

After an engagement of a year they were married. It was a huge wedding. It was the best of the best. All the prominent members of society were there. Both families had a high standing in the community and they both equally celebrated the joining of the perfect young couple in holy matrimony.

The day after the wedding Claire confessed to Bradford about the incident from two years prior. She did not want to have any secrets between them. She often thought about it and she felt she had to reveal it to him. It was a weight that she could not continue to carry alone. She had to tell him because she needed his sympathy.

Bradford was devastated to hear of it. He was angry. He felt she had betrayed him by not sharing the news with him when it happened. He felt betrayed because she didn't ask him for help. And he was angry that she kept the news from him for two more years after that.

He said he had loved her then and he would have married her if he had known.

They had a terrible fight that day. They had never fought with such ferocity before. It was a horrible shock to Bradford. The fight occurred on the first day of their honeymoon. It occurred exactly on the day that he had anticipated eagerly and for which he had such high expectations.

Bradford was devastated. Claire was devastated. They were both intensely unhappy. And this tragic event pried them apart rather than bound them together.

Claire was to blame. Claire blamed herself. Bradford blamed her too.

Bradford and Claire never told anyone. Their relationship was taken from a solid happy one to the brink of failure in one day but no one ever knew the truth.

The bitter feelings between them, the feeling of loss and the longing for the missing child, the regrets and recriminations seemed to build over the years rather than lessen. Even the birth of their two healthy and much loved sons did not end their private sorrow.

Later the cracks in their relationship appeared publicly. Bradford began a long term affair with Fey Sommers. Claire suffered from depression and she took to drink and pills to survive.

They both had unhappy lives.

Claire was never the wife to Bradford that she wanted to be. She knew that their relationship was never what Bradford had hoped it would be. It never was what she had hoped it would be either. But she never stopped loving Bradford.

She would always live with the regret and the remorse. She would always feel the same deep sadness. They would always have a tragic secret to conceal.

Then Claire murdered Fey.

When Claire confessed to murdering Fey both of them were painfully aware of her past action.

Claire had murdered before.

Claire always loved Bradford. At the end of his life she sacrificed her freedom to spend a few minutes with him. She did not hesitate to do this. She forgave him everything. She forgave him his affair with Fey. She still loved him even when she knew he planned to marry Wilhelmina Slater.

Claire explained all this to Betty.

By the time she was finished her story Betty and Claire were both standing and hugging each other. They were both crying.

Betty was profoundly moved by Claire's story of a lifetime of suffering stemming from a single mistake.

Claire asked Betty to think about her life. She asked Betty if she was making a mistake about Gio. Claire asked her to think about whether it was possible.

Claire suggested that Betty talk to Gio. Claire said she could call Daniel and tell him to bring Gio. Daniel could bring him right now. Claire explained that she could stay with Betty if she wanted. She suggested that no harm could come from her deciding to talk to Gio. Claire suggested what she might want to say to Gio.

Betty turned and walked to the windows. She closed her eyes and did as Claire asked. Betty thought about Gio. She thought about him in a new light.

She considered the possibility that she was making a mistake.

Her anger had subsided over the days since their fight. She wasn't as angry at Gio as she had been before. And she had fresh in her mind all the good times they shared from talking about them with Hilda. What she was feeling now was that she missed Gio. She missed his friendship. She missed him deeply.

Betty knew Gio loved her. She knew he loved her with a passion that scared her. She knew she liked him. She had thought she was falling in love with him. She thought it was possible that the feelings she had for him would grow into love. She wondered whether she was avoiding him because she was a coward.

She wondered why he had been insistent on going to Rome next week. She realized that she had never asked him why he wanted to go then. She wondered about it. She thought that she should have asked him if there was a reason his trip couldn't be delayed.

She remembered how she had screamed at him during their fight. She remembered that she'd tried to think of the meanest cruelest thing she could say to him and then screamed it at him. The meanest thing she could think of to say to him was that they had never been a couple. That was the meanest thing she could think of to say. And it wasn't even true. It was a lie.

She had lied intentionally because she wanted to hurt Gio. And he was severely hurt by it. She could see that. She was sorry that she hurt him. It was very unkind. It was unlike her. She didn't want to hurt anyone. She didn't ever want to hurt a friend.

She realized that even when he was hurt so deeply by her words Gio never raised his voice. She remembered that he had left when she asked him to. She realized that when she asked him to leave her alone he did. She hadn't seen or heard from him since the fight. He did everything she asked. He did this even after she had been as mean and unfair to him as she could be.

She realized he had been good. She had not. She felt guilty. Betty thought it over and she decided Claire was right. She had made a mistake and she needed to talk to Gio.

She realized she should ask him for forgiveness. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry she had hurt him.

She started to worry that he might not want to talk to her. She worried that he might have left for Rome already. She was suddenly desperate to see him.

Betty opened her eyes and turned towards Claire. She said in an urgent tone "Call Daniel."


	15. Friends dropping by

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 15 – Friends dropping by

Claire got Daniel on the phone. Because Betty was standing beside her she kept the conversation short. She simply told Daniel that he was to bring Gio to them.

Daniel replied he'd be there in about an hour and ended the call.

Daniel called Hilda. He said Betty was with Claire in the Meade building and that she wanted to see Gio. He told Hilda he'd be there as soon as he could to pick them up.

Hilda and Gio were anxious and excited. They wondered what to expect.

Hilda didn't know why Betty was with Claire. This was not in the plan. And Daniel said he didn't know anything. That was unexpected. They waited anxiously for Daniel.

When Daniel arrived Hilda and Gio jumped in the car and they headed to Gio's place. He needed to change into some of his new clothes. They were in a hurry.

Gio unlocked the door and rushed in. Daniel and Hilda rushed in after him.

Gio's mother heard the door open and came to see who was entering her home.

"Hi Ma!" said Gio distractedly. He kissed her cheek. "I'm in a hurry, sorry, I have to get changed." Gio told her "These are my friends." and turned to go to his room.

Gio said to Daniel and Hilda "Follow me." and hurried out of the room. Daniel and Hilda said "Hi Mrs. Rossi!' brightly and followed him. Gio's mother stared after them in surprise and disbelief as she watched them head to Gio's room.

Gio never brought friends home anymore so this was extremely unusual. She wondered if the girl was the one Gio was taking to Rome. She was pretty and she seemed nice. She looked like Gio's type. She thought she might be Betty. She was eager to meet Betty. She didn't know anything about her. She wondered why Gio had not brought Betty to meet them.

Soon they reached Gio's bedroom. It was a small room and it was in complete disarray. The bed was unmade. Clothes were scattered everywhere. The shopping bags from Daniel's shopping trip were still unpacked and spread out around the room. The three of them could barely fit in the room because the already limited floor space was further reduced by a couple of pieces of empty luggage.

After everything Gio had been though that day he was unperturbed by the mess. He didn't notice it enough to wonder what Hilda or Daniel might think. Compared with the other problems he was having letting them see his messy room was nothing. It wasn't that much worse than it normally was.

But he did notice when Hilda and Daniel started to smirk. He offered a simple explanation "I just moved back home and haven't had a chance to organize anything."

But this wasn't true. He'd moved back home months before this. He'd moved back home in the fall. He'd moved back home when he lost his job. The job that Betty had got him fired from.

He had started his own business then and now every penny he had went into it. He worked long hours and he didn't care that he didn't have his own place. His privacy no longer mattered to him. He wasn't seeing anyone anyway. He hadn't been seeing anyone since before he moved back home.

Daniel and Hilda hurriedly started to pick up shopping bags. They were looking through them and taking things out. After a minute Daniel gave Gio a push towards the door. Daniel said "Hurry! Go! Shower! We'll pick something out!"

As Gio left the room Hilda turned and shouted after him "And shave!"

When Gio returned from the shower he stopped at the doorway to his room. He was dressed only in a towel wrapped around his hips.

Daniel and Hilda didn't notice that Gio was watching them.

He could see that Daniel had laid out a pair of charcoal gray pants, the black cashmere sweater and a dark raspberry colored dress shirt beside each other on top of the heap of blankets on his bed. Daniel was looking at them and talking to Hilda. He was asking her to compare them. Hilda was ignoring Daniel. Her attention was on the black silk boxers she was holding in her hands. She was fondling the fabric with her fingers and sighing.

Gio had no dignity left after his embarrassing outburst in front of Hilda that morning. It no longer bothered him that he needed their help. He was grateful for their help.

Gio realized he was looking at the only two people in the world who could understand how Betty had captured his heart as she had done.

They already knew his deepest secrets. They knew he adored Betty. They knew he was a hopeless romantic who wanted their first date to be in Rome. They knew he had invited her to go and she had refused him. And they knew why she had refused him. There was nothing else of any importance to conceal.

Gio didn't mind that they knew he lived at home with his parents. He didn't mind that they had met his mother. He didn't mind that they were in his tiny messy bedroom. He didn't mind they had to step over his dirty laundry and that they were picking out his clothes. He didn't even mind that Hilda was touching his underwear. He didn't mind any of it.

All he could think about was that he was going to see Betty. He would be seeing her soon.

Hilda and Daniel were still unaware that Gio was watching them from the doorway. Gio coughed. Daniel and Hilda turned to look at Gio.

Gio was fragrant from the shower. His hair was damp. His chin was smooth. The light scent of his new cologne emanated from him.

A gifted artist's depiction of a Greek god could not be as resplendent as Gio was, naked but for the towel, radiating hopeful anticipation and excitement.

Hilda hid the hand holding the boxers behind her back and said "Ay, look at you! Daniel, help me!"

Hilda grabbed Daniel's forearm with her free hand and pretended to be swooning.

Gio crossed his arms and rolled his eyes at her antics.

Hilda exclaimed "Oh my god! Those arms!"

Gio said with mock sternness "I see what you have hidden behind your back Hilda."

"Oh, come on! You have lots. You won't miss this one." Hilda replied.

Daniel gently pulled the boxers from Hilda's hand and dropped them on the bed. He said "I think we're going to go with the sweater."

"Okay" said Gio. He was used to them not asking his opinion.

He had nothing left to hide from them but there was still one line he wouldn't cross. He would not disrobe in front of them. He said "Uh, guys?" and gestured for them to leave. "I am pretty sure I still know how to dress myself."

Daniel and Hilda walked past Gio to leave the room. As Hilda brushed by him she stroked his cheek and said "Nice!" Then she stole a lingering glance at his body, front and back, and exclaimed "Boy, my day just got better!"

Gio's mother was waiting just out of sight of his room.

She was worried about Gio. He was upset. That was obvious. He'd been very upset for days. He hadn't been eating well. He was at work all the time. She could tell he wasn't sleeping well. He suddenly didn't seem as eager to go to Rome. She knew all this and she was concerned for him.

She supposed his business was doing poorly. She supposed it would be very difficult for him to go to Rome for a month and leave it to someone else. She wondered how he would pay for all his fancy new clothes. She was proud he cared so much about his grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary and seeing all his relatives but she was worried because he must be losing money. She had no idea how much. She wondered how much money he must be losing to make him as upset as he was.

This was a bad time for her to help him out, should he ask. The family was spending a fortune on the trip to Italy for her in-law's celebration and the wedding. But they would help him out. Of course they would give him money. That's what families did. She worried about their ability to help. She decided she'd better check their finances before they left for the trip.

As Daniel and Hilda walked towards Gio's mother her curiosity finally overcame her reticence "Are you Betty?" she asked Hilda.

"No, I'm her sister Hilda and this is Daniel, her boss." explained Hilda.

Gio's mother was confused. This explanation made no sense to her. Why would they be in her home? What was going on? It was surreal.

Hilda continued speaking "Gio makes fantastic sandwiches Mrs. Rossi. We love them. I bet he learned to cook from you. I bet you are a great cook!" Daniel agreed she must be a great cook.

Gio's mother was pleased. She was flattered. She was delighted that Gio had such nice polite friends. But she still puzzled over why they were there.

Gio's mother said "I want you to know that Gio's friends are welcome here anytime. You can come over anytime at all. If you are here at a mealtime you'll be invited to eat. And if I know about it ahead of time I'll make you something special. I'd be happy to do it. Then you can see for yourself if I'm as good a cook as you think I am!"

Gio appeared. He was dressed and ready to go. Hilda stared.

Gio looked perfect.

Hilda looked at Gio and then said admiringly to Daniel "Good work!"

Gio's mother said goodbye to them as they headed out the door. They jumped into the town car and sped away.

They dropped Hilda off at her house.

Hilda wished Gio good luck. Hilda told Daniel to call her as soon as he knew anything.

Daniel and Gio talked on the way to Meade. Daniel explained that Claire had talked to Betty and that was why he didn't know what Betty was thinking. He hoped Claire had worked a miracle for them but they wouldn't find out what the situation was until they got there.

They entered the Meade building lobby and took the elevator to the top floor. Gio was nervous. His hands were sweaty. He was pale. They got out of the elevator and started to walk to the private lounge where Claire and Betty were waiting for them.

Daniel turned to Gio and said in a serious tone "Now I want you to keep your hands where I can see them at all times."

Gio looked back at Daniel with widened eyes. He was startled. He couldn't believe Daniel said that. He was already nervous and now he was afraid he had lost all the confidence he had left. He felt sick.

Daniel playfully punched Gio's arm and said "I'm kidding! _I'm just kidding!_" as he laughed exuberantly at his joke.

Gio laughed. It was a relief. He had not laughed for days. He had been feeling way too much stress. The laughter released the pressure. It settled his nerves. He shoved Daniel back and laughed again.

They continued to push and punch each other while laughing heartily as they approached the door to the lounge.

Betty and Claire heard the sound of laughter and realized that Gio and Daniel were in the hall. They turned from where they were standing by the windows and walked towards the door.

Betty listened to Gio's laughter. She loved to hear the sound of it. She became aware that she had craved to hear the sound of it. She knew that Gio was coming to see her and she could tell that he was happy. She was relieved to know he was happy.

Betty smiled. She smiled a bright white smile. She smiled a smile that lit up her face. She smiled a smile so wide that her orthodontist would be thrilled to post it on his bulletin board. Betty was smiling the smile that Gio loved as he opened the door.


	16. Reunion

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 16 – Reunion

Gio opened the door to the lounge and the first thing he saw was Betty smiling back at him. Her smile was brilliant. He'd never seen her without braces. Her face was lit up ten times brighter than he'd ever seen before. He was mesmerized by the sight and stopped walking suddenly. Daniel was forced to step around him.

Betty rushed to where Gio stood motionless and wrapped her arms around him. She cried out "Gio" and hugged him with unreserved warmth. She hugged him tightly. She hugged him lovingly. She hugged him like she was high on perfume.

Gio left his hands at his sides awkwardly. He didn't move. He didn't want to interrupt Betty's hug. He whispered sweetly into Betty's ear 'Long time, no see B.' and Betty laughed.

Daniel caught Gio's eye and signaled for him to hug Betty back. Gio complied. He happily held her. He slid his hands down Betty's silky hair which was cascading down her back. He melted into her hug and closed his eyes. Betty's hands explored Gio. Her hands delighted in the contrast between the softness of the cashmere wool and the firmness of his body beneath it. Gio's pulse jumped at her touch. He was elated to feel her caresses and hold her in his arms.

Betty wished the tender moment would last forever. She felt immense relief that Gio was holding her.

Betty pulled out of the hug and took Gio's hand. She led him away from Daniel and Claire and towards the windows. Daniel and Claire receded to the other side of the room out of earshot but stayed within sight of the couple.

When they reached the windows Betty looked out at the glass towers reflecting the late afternoon light and said in a serious tone "Gio, we have to talk."

Gio recognized the phrase. It is often used to warn the listener of unwelcome news. He felt a chill on his heart and steeled himself for what she was about to say. Gio started to apologize to Betty. He apologized for everything he could think of.

Betty let go of Gio's hand and motioned for him to stop speaking and continued "Gio, I want us to be friends."

Gio didn't know what to say. The ecstasy of the last few moments evaporated instantly. He felt empty. So that was it. She wanted them to be friends, just friends. He didn't understand how his instincts could be so wrong. Was she saying that that hug meant nothing to her? How could it be? He couldn't prevent his face from revealing the extent of his disappointment.

Betty struggled to maintain her will. She could see she was hurting Gio again. She hated to do it but she had to protect herself. She was telling him this to ward off his ambushes of affection. She had decided this was the best way to handle him. She knew he didn't want to hear this. She knew he wanted to be much more than friends. She wanted them to be more than friends too, someday.

Betty asked "Can we be friends? I can't be more than that to you right now."

Gio pulled himself together and replied "Of course. That would be great." He was happy that at least they would be talking to each other again. At least he could see her again.

Betty replied "No. I know that isn't what you want. I know you want more, right?"

There wasn't any reason to deny it. He had made himself clear about it before and his feelings for her had not changed. Gio nodded sadly.

Betty wanted to cheer him up. She said "It could still happen Gio, in the future. I want you to know it is possible." Betty was already half in love with Gio but she didn't want him to know it yet. She was in a precarious state of mind. She had to hold him back while she learned to manage her fear of being overwhelmed by him. She needed time.

She needed him to wait. After what he had said at the park she was worried he wouldn't do it and asked "Will you wait?"

He felt encouraged. He could see her and she didn't rule out a closer relationship for later. He knew this would mean that he would have to go to Rome alone. But then after he returned he had her permission to resume his slow courtship of her.

Since the day Gio met Betty he was intrigued by her. He had been surprised and entranced to discover someone with her unique wit and perspective. Who else would have woofed at him when he quacked? She got under his skin that day and there was no going back. He had never had a relationship with a woman that had taken a hold on him like this one had.

He would wait. He had no choice but to agree to it. Gio nodded again.

Betty was flooded with relief and immediately burst into tears. She felt a mixture of strong and conflicting emotions. He was so good. She was very sorry to disappoint him again. She hated that she had to make him wait but she was afraid of what would happen if she didn't. Betty apologized to Gio through her tears. She kept apologizing even as Gio told her there was nothing for her to apologize about.

Daniel had bought Gio monogrammed handkerchiefs as a gift and Gio took one from his pocket. It was new and pristine. The soft fabric was lightly scented with Gio's cologne. Gio handed it to Betty. Betty took the handkerchief from him and dried her eyes.

Betty asked Gio why he was going to Rome. She told him that she wanted to go. She asked him why the trip could not be delayed until she was ready to go.

Gio explained why he had to go now. He explained about his grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary celebration and his cousin's wedding. He explained about the reunion of Rossi family members from around the world and the many events that were planned.

Gio said "I asked them for an invitation for you. I wanted you to meet my relatives. I wanted them to meet you. But don't worry about me. They will fix me up with a date for the parties. I will have someone to talk to, someone to eat with and dance with while I am there. Whenever you are ready to go I will take you. I can go again whenever you want. What do you think?"

Betty thought about this. She had not known the reason for why Gio was going to Rome. She had thought that the timing was something he had chosen and that it was something he could change. She realized that his leaving for Rome now was not his choice. And it was a very special trip. He had to go. His trip could not be postponed for her.

She thought about his relatives and how much she wanted to know them. She admired the fact that he had a big and loving family. The events sounded wonderful. Everything sounded exactly like what she would love the most. She looked away and frowned when she thought about Gio taking another girl to the events. She hated to think of him talking and dancing with someone else.

Gio could see that Betty was lost in thought. He tucked his hands in his pockets. He was afraid they might reach out to Betty of their own volition. He tried to calm himself as he waited anxiously to hear what she would say.

Daniel and Claire were watching Betty and Gio and discussing them. They saw their warm lingering hug and were very encouraged. They observed them talking by the windows. Claire explained to Daniel that she had not found out much from Betty. She explained that Betty had been silent for a long while before she asked her to call him. Daniel got Hilda on the phone but he had little information to tell her.

Daniel and Claire observed Betty drop Gio's hand and his disappointment. It was clearly visible from his posture. Daniel relayed it to Hilda. They puzzled anxiously over what Gio and Betty were saying to each other. Daniel and Claire could not see Betty's face but they could see that she was crying. They saw Gio hand her the handkerchief. Hilda stayed on the phone as they watched and they wondered.

Finally Betty looked back at Gio and said "Okay, uh, crazy idea - can I go with you now? Could we travel together as friends?" She was really asking whether Gio could restrain his impulses. She thought if he could do it then she could be comfortable with him. She'd been friends with him for a long time and he was always a perfect friend. She had no doubt he would be a good friend to travel with if he was willing to settle for it.

Gio looked at Betty in amazement. She _trusted_ him. He could not believe it. He barely trusted himself. He was overjoyed. This was almost perfect. It was much closer to perfect than he had expected. He whispered "Of course. That would be great."

Betty gazed in surprise at Gio. She was as astonished as he was. It took a moment for it to sink in. She had not expected this. She had figured out the perfect solution to her dilemma and Gio had agreed to it.

Betty suddenly started to jump up and down. She jumped and shouted "I'm going to Rome! I'm going to Rome! Oh my god, I'm going to Rome!"

Gio glanced around quickly to make sure nothing breakable was in harm's way.

Daniel and Claire hugged each other. Daniel told Hilda that Betty was jumping and what she was shouting but it wasn't necessary because Hilda could hear it herself.

Betty rushed over to Claire and Daniel and announced "Gio and I are friends again and we are going to Rome together!"

Gio followed Betty. When he reached them Gio looked at Daniel with gratitude and shook his hand warmly.

Claire could discern from Betty that they weren't back together as a couple but she was pleased anyway. The trip was back on. She observed Gio. She recognized his look. He was smitten. She realized they would not need privacy for themselves that night. She decided it might be better if they didn't have any privacy just yet. Claire thought of an idea.

Claire said "Let's celebrate! Let's have dinner together. Right here in the adjacent boardroom. We'll bring in some take out food. We'll make it a formal dinner and invite your family!"

Daniel invited Hilda and the rest of the Suarez family to dinner at the Meade building. He said it'd be a formal occasion. He told her to wear her new dress and invited her to pick out some matching shoes when she got there. He said he'd call Christina and arrange it. He told her to start getting ready and he'd send a car to pick them up.

Claire opened a drawer and handed Daniel a menu for a Chinese restaurant and suggested they get the dinner for ten. She told him to take Gio and Daniel Jr. with him to help carry the food back. Then she took Betty to see Christina to find her something special to wear for the dinner.

When Daniel, Gio and Daniel Jr. arrived on the top floor of the Meade building with the Chinese food they found Ignacio and Justin waiting for them. They both looked excited and very handsome dressed in their Sunday best. Hilda had gone to the closet to meet Christina and pick out her new shoes.

The men unpacked the boxes and arranged the containers of food, the paper plates, and the chopsticks on the boardroom table. Daniel found some champagne and glasses and set them out. The boys set up the audio system and selected some music. Soon the women started to arrive and everyone went over to the door to greet them.

Christina and Betty entered first. Everyone praised Betty's dress. Christina had found a lovely gown for her to wear with matching shoes and accessories. Betty was pleased as she walked towards where Gio and Daniel were standing.

Betty smiled shyly at Gio.

Gio looked admiringly at Betty and said "Pretty dress. Pretty smile." then he smiled mischievously and added "Hey, you got your braces off just in time!"

Betty replied suspiciously "Thanks, I think. Why do you say that? In time for what?"

Gio grinned and said "Now you won't get us into trouble at the airport by setting off the metal detectors!"

"Huh!" said Betty. She laughed cheerfully and slapped Gio's arm. The palm of her hand lingered on his arm when she felt the soft wool. Gio's heart raced from feeling her hand on him. He started to imagine taking a hold of her face in his hands and bringing it to his. He imagined the softness and taste of Betty's tempting lips. Her teeth looked so smooth. He thought of how sweet kissing her would be now there were no braces under her lips to interfere with his tongue.

Gio realized now that since the moment he was sure she'd broken up with Henry, that moment in the deli when she told him their relationship was over, he was in trouble. He couldn't always stop himself from acting on his desires. Hilda had explained it to him. She had warned him about it.

He was dismayed to find himself imagining kissing Betty only an hour after he told her he was content to be her friend. He silently cursed himself. It was going to be harder than he thought. He swore to himself that he was going to be the friend to Betty she had asked him to be.

Unaware of the narrowly averted threat Betty gently withdrew her hand from his arm. Gio had barely maintained control. He had come close to surprising and frightening her again. Even though he knew the danger he decided to wear the sweater at every opportunity no matter how hot the weather was in Rome.

Daniel had been watching Betty and Gio interact and he resolved to speak to Gio privately as soon as he could.

Just then Claire entered. Everyone turned to look as she held the door open for Hilda.

Hilda walked in looking gorgeous in her new dress. It was a strapless full length gown made of shimmering ivory silk that draped her figure gracefully. The shoes were elegant high heels in a burnished copper color. Her silky brunette hair was swept up and coiled on her head. Hilda was stunning. She had completely transformed herself from vamp to glamorous sophisticate. She was as beautiful as any women a rich eligible bachelor such as Daniel Meade would be proud to have on his arm at a society event.

Everyone gasped in amazement. Hilda smiled in pleasure when she noticed the attention of the entire group was focused on her.

Betty observed that Hilda and Daniel had only glanced at each other and said to Hilda "I know you and Daniel are seeing each other. You don't have to pretend you aren't anymore."

Daniel heard what Betty said and suddenly remembered his lie about dating Hilda. He'd completely forgotten about it. And he hadn't told Hilda about it. He snapped to attention just as Hilda said in a puzzled tone "What are you talking about Betty? Daniel and I …" but her sentence was interrupted.

Daniel had sprung over to Hilda exclaiming "Darling!" As fast as he could he grasped her firmly by the shoulders and covered her lips with his own.


	17. Chinese Banquet

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 17 – Chinese Banquet

Hilda was shocked to find herself suddenly being kissed by Daniel. She pushed back forcefully but he had a firm grip on her shoulders. Daniel could feel her resistance and he kept the pressure on her lips. After a few seconds he disengaged and just as Hilda started to say "Listen, Daniel …" he urgently hissed in her ear "Play along with me. I'll explain in a moment." Hilda relaxed and let Daniel finish the hug. Then he led her a few steps away from the others so they were out of earshot.

Hilda whispered "What's up Daniel? Why are we supposed to be dating?"

Daniel answered "Sorry about that. I messed up with Betty and I had to improvise. Claire helped me out and after that I forgot I had made up the story about us dating. You see, that's why I gave you the dress the other day."

Hilda answered "Oh. _That_ explains the looks I was getting when I was picking out the shoes. I didn't know what was going on and I ignored them. Now it makes sense."

Hilda put her arm around Daniel's neck and said "Well, say then. I guess I get a chance to improvise too." She stroked his cheek and said in a seductive tone "Tell me Daniel, how long have we been dating? Just exactly how close are we hmm?"

Daniel chuckled "I don't know. I guess long enough to be uh … close. It's been a least a few days so that's plenty long enough for me. Is that long enough for you?"

Hilda laughed back "Oh yeah. Boy, this sounds like a lot of fun. My day just keeps getting better and better. You'll have to excuse me for a moment though while I fill in Papi. We don't want him have a heart attack at the dinner table, okay?"

Daniel replied with a grin "Sure. No problem. Claire's already in on it so we can go to town. You realize this is just for fun though, right?"

Hilda smiled back "That's right mister. Exactly right, it isn't real. That's important."

Hilda left Daniel and went to talk to Ignacio. She informed him that her behavior with Daniel that night would be an act designed to prevent Betty from discovering Daniel's involvement in getting her back together with Gio.

Daniel was standing by himself near the doorway when Alexis entered the room. Daniel said with disgust "Why are _you_ here?"

Alexis responded coldly that Claire had invited her. Claire quickly joined Daniel and Alexis by the door. Claire told Alexis that the dinner was a party to celebrate Betty's trip to Rome with Gio and that both Daniel and Alexis were to behave properly. And she instructed them that they had to be civil to Christina for Betty's sake.

Claire turned around to everyone and told them it was time to sit down for dinner. She motioned for Ignacio to sit at the head of the table. Christina sat beside him. Beside Christina were Betty, Gio and Alexis. On the other side of the table she sat Daniel Jr. next to Ignacio, and then Justin, Hilda and Daniel. Claire sat at the end of the table opposite Ignacio with Daniel on one side of her and Alexis on the other.

When everyone was seated Claire asked Daniel to pour out the champagne. Claire jumped up and got a bottle of sparkling juice. She served it to Christina, the boys and herself so everyone had a glass in hand.

Claire asked Daniel to make a toast. Daniel happily obliged. He spoke at length to the group about his pleasure in giving Betty a trip to Rome and described to them what she had done and how much she deserved it. Ignacio was very proud of Betty. Daniel also expressed his gratitude to Gio for agreeing to accompany Betty on her trip. Then everyone raised their glasses and toasted Betty and Gio.

When their toast was complete Claire stood up and hushed everyone. Everyone sat down again so Claire could make her toast.

Claire had been thinking a lot about Christina's pregnancy. Christina's baby was Bradford's baby. Claire had started to believe that in some mystical cosmic way this baby could make up for the one that she and Bradford had lost so many decades ago. She hoped that the birth of the baby would relieve her of her burden of grief. She hoped that acknowledging and caring for this baby would absolve her for her role in the death of the other one.

Claire had worked hard to rid herself of her vices that had arisen from her guilt. She had struggled with and given up her unhealthy reliance on drink and pills. She had set goals for herself and she had focused on her magazine. It took everything she had to overcome the crippling effects of depression and she was succeeding. But there was one more thing that she wished to overcome, one last thing. It was time to finally rid herself of her guilt for the loss of that baby. She had to stop blaming herself and let go of all the regrets she still held.

The prison in her mind from that guilt was much harder to escape from than the real life prison she had been incarcerated in. She had come to hope that the day Christina's baby was born would be the day she would be able to leave it. The innocent baby, Bradford's third child, would free her.

She now regarded Christina's baby with a deep love no one would ever understand. She decided to share her new found feelings about Christina and her baby in front of everyone.

Claire spoke "Christina, you and your child are part of my family now. I want you to know that just as I will always love Bradford I will love the baby you are carrying too, because it is Bradford's baby. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your part in bringing this baby into the world. I want you to know that I cherish you and your baby. Daniel and Alexis, this baby is your sibling, please welcome it. To Christina." Claire wiped a tear from her eye and raised her glass.

Everyone looked at Claire in amazement. No one had expected her to be happy, much less touched and joyful, about this baby. This baby was the child of Bradford and Wilhelmina and Wilhelmina had schemed against her constantly; Wilhelmina was Claire's worst enemy. The baby had been conceived for the most despicable of motives.

Christina was shocked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She thought Claire hated her. She listened in surprise and relief.

Claire looked at Daniel. He was almost speechless. Daniel stood up and raised his glass "To Christina!"

Claire looked at Alexis. Alexis was open mouthed in surprise. Alexis stood up and raised her glass "To Christina and her baby. Good health to you both!" Alexis couldn't believe she was saying it, but as soon as she did she realized it felt right. Welcoming Christina's baby into the family was the right thing to do.

Then everyone toasted Christina. Everyone at the table was surprised, relieved and happy by the warmth of the Meades' toasts to Christina.

Then Claire invited everyone to eat. They opened the containers of Chinese food and passed them around. Egg rolls and scoops of chop suey, fried rice and chow mein were served out. Daniel Jr. was excited to try it. The Chinese food in New York was very different from the kind he had eaten before in France.

Everyone started eating eagerly and talking together. Over the background of music the room was filled with the lively happy sound of people eating, pleasantly talking and laughing.

Ignacio boasted to Christina about all the interesting things he was going to learn in his computer class.

Gio gallantly opened several packets of plum and soy sauce for Betty after he noticed her clumsiness when she tried to tear one open.

Justin and Daniel Jr. compared with each other how many school days and holiday days they each had. They discussed video games and game systems.

Daniel was an attentive host and he remembered to keep everyone's glasses filled. He regaled everyone with amusing stories from his trips to Rome. He told them about the times he would hang out with young hip designers at fashion houses and go clubbing with them.

Gio had been to Rome several times too and he described the city to everyone. He told them how much he loved zipping around the narrow cobblestone streets on a motorbike and visiting the many museums and important historical sights located around the downtown.

Alexis, Claire and Daniel talked with each other about the future of Meade, Wilhelmina's role at Mode, and Daniel's change in position in a friendly relaxed way for the first time.

Claire urged for the food to be passed around several times so everyone could take more.

Betty smiled and whispered with Gio. She told him how much she would like him to take her on a motorbike tour of the city.

Gio stopped eating and pictured it. He thought of himself on a motorbike with Betty seated behind him. He imagined her arms clasped tightly around his waist and the pleasurable feel of her body pressed against his back. She would have her chin on his shoulder and her face beside his. He imagined her thighs on either side of his squeezing him as he turned and accelerated the bike along the winding streets. He imagined her legs would be bare under her skirt because of the hot weather so his hand could seem to accidentally brush against her bare knee when he stopped in traffic. He imagined the delicious feel of her soft skin under his hand. Then he blushed and remembered his promise to himself. He reluctantly broke his train of thought and responded to Betty "Of course! No question about it. We must go on a motorbike ride while we're there."

Hilda whispered to Daniel "You see them there? Betty is definitely flirting. She just doesn't realize it. I don't know when she is going to figure out that she loves him but it is just a matter of time. And look at Gio. So cute. He is a bundle of nerves. It would be painful to watch if it wasn't so amusing."

Daniel whispered back to Hilda "She will so long as Gio doesn't get ahead of her again. Listen, we have to get them to Rome as soon as possible. Do you think they can be ready in a couple of days? I think the sooner they go the better."

Hilda responded "Yes, I agree. Let's get them on a plane as soon as possible."

Daniel whispered back "And as soon as they are out of town you can break up with me."

Hilda whispered "That will be fun. I'm looking forward to it."

Daniel whispered "But don't text it to me, okay? That's just cruel."

Hilda giggled and whispered back "Oh, you aren't getting off that easy Daniel! I'm going to get dangerous, that's my style. You'll see. I'll scream at you."

Daniel grinned. He leaned to Hilda while turning away from the table and whispered "How can you do that? Won't the neighbors hear? You will have to keep it down."

Hilda turned too and she put her arm around Daniel's shoulders to give them some privacy. She leaned in as close as she could to Daniel's ear and hissed "Me quiet? Not on your life. Betty and Gio will hear me in Rome! You will never forget breaking up with me. Ha! Why you lyin' cheatin' no good bastard! God help you! Just you wait you son of a …"

Daniel gulped and tugged at his tie. He hissed back "Whoa, will you stop all that cursing. That's kind of hot! Anyway, I told Betty I'm good to you. I'm treating you right darling! It isn't going to be so easy breaking up with me. You'll have to think of something else."

Hilda squeezed her arm around Daniel's shoulders warmly and breathed into his ear "Awww, you are so sweet. Do you think we could have a couple more dates before I think of a reason?"

Daniel whispered "I guess. What do you want to do?"

Hilda hugged Daniel and murmured "Mmmm."

Daniel whispered "Keep it clean."

Hilda giggled and whispered "How about dancing? I love dancing. We'll look good together."

Justin shoved Hilda "Hey, will you two stop that already! Everyone is right here you know."

Daniel and Hilda smiled sweetly at each other and they turned back to their dinners.

Daniel said "Hey, I think it is time to bring out the fortune cookies!" He jumped up and got the bag of cookies. He walked around the table and handed them out.

Ignacio opened his first. He read it aloud "Change is the essence of life, embrace it." Everyone remarked on how true his fortune was and Ignacio was pleased he got a good one.

Then Daniel Jr. opened his fortune. He couldn't read English well so he handed it to Justin. Justin read "Your family bonds are stranger than you think"

Everyone laughed and told Justin that he had misread the fortune. Justin protested that he had not misread it and read it aloud again. Everyone laughed louder. Hilda leaned over and read the fortune in Justin's hands. "Hey, it does say _stranger_ and not _stronger_!"

Everyone laughed again and they all agreed that it was a peculiar typo but they explained to Daniel Jr. that typos are very common in fortunes.

Gio read his fortune and tucked it into his wallet. He didn't want to read his aloud.

Then Justin read his fortune out next, it said "Versatility is your strength."

Christina laughed heartily at Justin's fortune. Justin looked at Christina with curiosity.

Hilda read her fortune "To succeed you must mind your own business" and everyone laughed at it. Daniel said "You, Hilda, you mind your own business? Like that will _ever_ happen!"

Daniel read his fortune next "You will soon turn a flame into a fire" and everyone was quiet as they puzzled over what it could mean except for Christina who laughed again.

Betty thought of the fire she put out at Daniel's apartment. There were so many flames on the candles in his apartment when she had gotten there and found Renee. One of those flames had turned into the fire. She would never forget that terrifying day. She wondered if Daniel's fortune had a special meaning for him.

Claire read her fortune out next "A wise man once said" Everyone urged her to read out what the wise man said. Claire turned the paper over. "That's all it says!"

Christina laughed. Daniel offered an explanation of the fortune "Maybe the wise man stayed silent" and everyone agreed that that was sometimes a very wise thing to do.

Then Alexis read out her fortune "A mother's intuition is trustworthy" and she looked at Claire quizzically.

Again, Christina laughed and everyone was puzzled by why Christina found the fortune funny. Daniel asked Christina why she was laughing at each of the fortunes.

Christina explained that she and her friends always appended the words 'in bed' to their fortunes to make a joke out of it. She had been doing it herself as each of them read the fortune aloud. She said "Let me show you how it works." and she read her fortune out to everyone "Sow your seeds carefully and your blossoms will flourish." She let everyone think about it. Then she said "Sow your seeds carefully and your blossoms will flourish _in bed_!" Everyone laughed. She said "See, even that one is funnier like that!"

Everyone read over their fortunes again silently appending 'in bed' to the end of them. Alexis looked puzzled at her fortune. The others laughed. Daniel held his fortune up and waved it around as if to cool it off "This one sounds pretty hot!" Everyone laughed at Daniel.

Betty and Gio both blushed deeply and giggled at their fortunes and then they quickly hid them away so they wouldn't have to tell them to anyone else.

Daniel stood up from the table and held his hand out to Hilda and said "Shall we dance?" Hilda agreed and they started dancing. Then Claire and Ignacio started dancing together. Betty stood up and took Gio's hand. She said "Come on. Let's dance too."

Everyone took turns dancing with everyone else and had a very enjoyable evening. By the end of the night Daniel had told them that he would take care of booking the flights to Rome and the accommodations. Daniel told Gio and Betty to be ready to meet him at the airport in two days.

Gio and Betty hugged each other goodnight. They both marveled at how quickly everything between them had changed. They commiserated on how busy they would be to get ready for the flight in time.

They lingered when they parted because they knew that Daniel's plan would not give them a chance to see each other again until they met at the airport.

Betty and Gio's fortunes:  
Betty: _Happiness is within your grasp_  
Gio: _Patience will be rewarded_


	18. Sunday dinner

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 18 – Sunday dinner

It was Sunday, the day of his flight to Rome, and Gio had spent the day with his family including going to church with them in the morning. Gio's mother, father and sister Antonella were seated around the table for dinner. He was taking the overnight flight to Rome and this was his last meal with his family before Daniel came to pick him up and take him to the airport.

Mrs. Rossi set a bowl of pasta in front of Gio. She was happy that he had regained his appetite and she made his favorite dish.

Gio said "Thanks for making this Ma! You know I love it."

Mrs. Rossi said "Well, it'll be the last home cooked meal you will have for a month so I wanted to make it something special."

Gio replied "What I eat in Rome might not be the same as your cooking but think I will eat well. You shouldn't worry about me."

Mrs. Rossi said "I am so glad you came to mass today. It was nice that the whole family could go together. I mean except for Maria, of course. But, we'll see her soon."

Gio said "Yes. I can't wait to see her and my handsome little nephew."

Mrs. Rossi said "I suppose you came to mass to see the pretty girls. I saw several of them trying to attract your attention. You should come with us more often."

Gio said "Ma! Don't say that, it's not like I'm a stranger there. And that's not the reason I went, I went for the usual reason, to pray."

Mrs. Rossi thought that Gio's money problems must be weighing on his mind and that was what he needed to pray about. She was concerned about how his business was doing and she was worried about him leaving it to someone else for a whole month. She had noticed that Gio was very serious at church and he had paid no attention to the young women in the congregation who were so obviously interested in him. She thought he should find a nice girl and settle down. She saw several girls that morning that looked nice. She wished he would decide to settle down instead of only thinking about his business all the time.

Mrs. Rossi said "Come on and tell me about Betty. What do you mean that she is just a friend? You are telling me you are just friends and you are spending a whole month together? And why would her boss pay for flights and hotels for you both? Is that the man I met here, Daniel? That is very strange. I don't understand it."

Gio responded "Ma, I tried explain it to you already. Daniel wants to give her a vacation and he wanted someone to go with her. He knows we are friends and that I was going to Rome for a month and he asked me to take her with me and show her around. That's it."

Mrs. Rossi frowned "Still, I wonder. Why would her boss do that? What kind of boss does that for an employee?"

Gio responded "A boss that wants to reward his assistant for excellent work. She has done a lot for him professionally and personally and he holds her in very high regard."

Mrs. Rossi said "Oh, so _he_ feels something for her and yet _you_ are the one sharing the hotel suite with her. It doesn't sound proper. What is the meaning of that?"

Gio said "Nothing! I assure you I know what he thinks and he doesn't feel _that_ way about her. And sharing a suite is just a convenience, that's all. We will be sleeping in separate rooms Ma."

Mrs. Rossi said "And why are you going today? You were supposed to go with us next week and now all of a sudden it's a huge rush and you're leaving today."

Gio responded "Her boss picked the flights. There is a big reorganization at work and this was a good time for her to get away for a few weeks. It's been a rough time there and she needed some time off. I'm just lucky that it coincides with when I want to go."

Mrs. Rossi responded "Well, yes, of course, that is nice. You know I've been really looking forward to seeing this Betty Suarez girl ever since you started talking about her. I met her sister Hilda, remember?"

Mrs. Rossi thought Hilda was pretty but that she dressed like a hussy and wore too much makeup. She looked fast. She guessed Betty was like that too since Gio liked that type. She wondered what Gio was not telling her about their relationship. He was a grown man and had had girlfriends before. He didn't have any problems getting a girlfriend when he wanted one. She suspected there was a lot more going on than he was saying. And he hadn't brought Betty home to meet them. She wondered if it was because he was ashamed of Betty or of his family. She was inclined to think it was Betty. She thought he should find a nice girl rather than be with someone like her. A girl he wouldn't even call a girlfriend.

Gio said "You'll get to meet Betty in Rome. We can get together after you get there."

Antonella looked up from eating and said "Hey. I know a Hilda Suarez. She is my classmate Justin's mom. I see her at school sometimes. Is that the Hilda that Mom met?"

Gio answered "Yes. That would be her."

Mrs. Rossi was surprised to learn that Hilda had a son in Antonella's class. Hilda seemed too young to have a child that age. She seemed way too young. She must have been a teen when she had him. And even more shocking was that she was apparently unmarried.

Mrs. Rossi said "Hmm, so she has a child and is not married? She is _Miss_ Hilda Suarez? Gio, why are you getting mixed up with these sisters? I suppose Betty has even poorer morals than her sister since she is going to Rome with you _and_ sharing a hotel suite. You say you are just friends but I don't believe it. I wonder what she thinks you are. What are you doing hanging around with the likes of her Gio? I am ashamed of you. Is she Catholic? I expect you to make an honest woman of her or not get involved." She sighed heavily "Good god, Gio! What am I going to tell your grandmother?"

Antonella giggled. Gio blushed "Ma! What are you saying? Please, you know nothing about it! It is nothing like that. And don't you go talking about Betty like that!"

Antonella said "So then what _are_ you ashamed of? I know you snuck into confession today. My friend Bianca saw you."

Gio's blush deepened. He had hoped he'd avoided being noticed. He had gone to confession but he didn't want his family to know he did.

Gio had discovered that being only a friend to Betty was harder to do that he thought it would be. He hadn't experienced this problem before since the girls he went with had always been willing. But Betty was different. She wasn't like the other ones. And the problem was that whenever he was near her he had a nearly irresistible urge to kiss her. Hilda had made him aware of it and since then he had found out that being aware of it didn't help him to resist it. This trip was going to be a challenge. It would be a struggle. He promised himself that he would do everything in his power to live up to Betty's faith in him. He was determined to show her he was in control of himself and he was worthy of her trust. Betty wanted a friend with her on her trip and he would be that friend. He was desperate and he was asking for divine help.

Mrs. Rossi saw Gio's red face and said "So there _is_ something you are not telling me! Gio, no son of mine should take advantage of a girl like you are doing. You call yourself her _friend_, huh? Is that what you kids call it these days? I keep up to date from my book club. I know all about hooking up, don't you think I don't! I'm sure that this girl wishes you were the gentleman you _should_ be!" she glared at him "Gio, I can't believe you are bringing a girl like _that_ to meet your grandmother."

Gio blushed an even deeper shade of red. This was becoming a very uncomfortable conversation with his mother and Antonella was not helping.

Gio was exasperated "Ma! You have completely the wrong idea. Betty and I are not, uh, you know, uh … she's not like that. God! Ma you are embarrassing me. Yes she is Catholic. She is a great girl and she is perfectly respectable. I am not the slightest bit embarrassed to introduce Betty to my grandmother."

Gio's father finally interjected "I think you should let Gio eat his dinner in peace. Son, do you want me to check on the deli before we leave town? Is everything okay there?" he paused and added casually "Do you need any money?"

Gio answered "No, I'm good. Thanks for asking. The deli is fine so there is no need to check it. The new guy has been doing great and he knows he can call me if he has any problems. He's fine, the deli's fine. Everything is taken care of."

Gio's father said "Good, then let me tell you about the funny incident at work last week, you haven't heard this story yet."

Gio looked at his father gratefully. He was very relieved to avoid any more questions from his mother and listen to his father's story.

Later that day Daniel, Daniel Jr. and Claire came in the town car to pick Gio up. They were early for the flight and would have to wait at the airport but Gio was packed and he was eager to go.

Mrs. Rossi said goodbye to Gio at the door. She said "Please Gio, explain to me what is really going on with between you and Betty. Just tell me. What am I going to tell your grandmother?"

Gio kissed his mother and answered "Betty is my friend. That's what you tell her. That's all you can tell her. The best I can do is to let you know if the situation changes. Ma, I promise, if it does you'll be the first to know." He picked up his luggage and hurried out the door.

Gio, Daniel, Daniel Jr. and Claire had been waiting at the airport for over an hour. Daniel had been trying but he was unable to reach Betty on her cell phone. Daniel had sent a town car to pick up Betty, Hilda, Ignacio and Justin in plenty of time and they should have gotten to the airport already.

Daniel and Gio were starting to get anxious because they hadn't arrived yet and it was time to check in for the flight. Their flight was the last one to Rome that night and if they didn't get on it they would have to wait at the airport overnight for a flight out the next day. Gio was petrified that Betty was having last minute second thoughts about the trip. He would be a basket case if she backed out of it now.

Finally Hilda answered Betty's phone. She sounded frantic. Hilda was nearly in tears and Daniel could hear the sound of Betty crying. He could hear Ignacio and Justin comforting her. Betty was sobbing into Gio's handkerchief.

Hilda said "Daniel, I don't know if we'll make it. We're stuck in traffic. There's been an accident and the highway is a _parking lot!_"


	19. Pink flowers on cupcakes

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 19 – Pink flowers on cupcakes

Gio paced anxiously near the end of the line up for the airline check-in counters. He gripped an unopened bottle of water that Daniel had given him tightly in his hand. He wiped his other hand across his forehead absentmindedly as if to brush away his no longer existing strands of hair.

Daniel stood nearby drinking from his water bottle and chatting with Claire and Daniel Jr. He said to Gio "Relax. Don't worry. There is still time. We were here early so I know it seems like we've been waiting forever but it isn't too late yet."

Daniel had received a call from Hilda and he heard that traffic was moving again. It was moving slowly but they weren't too far away.

Christina appeared out of the crowd and strode up to where they were waiting breathing hard "Hey, I'm glad I didn't miss you! I can't believe how long it took me to get here. Where is Betty? I came to say goodbye to her."

Daniel answered "She's not here yet but she should be soon."

Christina read the flight information on the overhead screen "Oh man, you should have already gone through security by now."

Gio was almost incoherent from worry. He didn't want to miss the flight because then Betty would have another night to reconsider going on the trip. He brushed his forehead again. He said "I know! I _know_." He couldn't think of anything else to say and resumed brushing his forehead and pacing.

Claire turned to Christina and asked with concern in her voice "How are you?"

Christina, newly comfortable about her relationship with Claire and Daniel, was happy to talk to them about her pregnancy and tell them she was doing well. Claire listened and was sympathetic and caring. Claire offered to give Christina a ride back home.

Justin appeared. He ran up to Daniel and shouted "We're here! They're just getting the luggage out."

Gio let out his breath when he saw Hilda and Ignacio appear with Betty trailing not too far behind them. Betty had been busy and anxious all day and she was tired and worn out. The blouse and skirt she had chosen to wear for the overnight flight were comfortable but they looked dated and frumpy. Her face was red from running and tear stained from crying. She clutched Gio's crumpled handkerchief in her hand. She looked a mess but she was the most beautiful sight in the world to Gio.

They soon finished checking in the luggage and had their boarding passes. The agent urged them to go immediately to the gate.

They all ran straight to the queue for the security checkpoint.

Christina hugged Betty goodbye. In spite of Betty's disheveled appearance Christina insisted on taking pictures and she wanted some with everyone in it so Claire, Daniel Jr., Daniel, Gio, Betty, Hilda, Justin and Ignacio quickly posed for her. Justin and Daniel Jr. held a banner that Justin had made that said 'Bon Voyage to Rome'.

Then Claire hugged Betty. She handed her a small jewelry box.

Betty said "A gift? I don't need a gift!"

Claire replied "I want you to have it. Betty, you have helped me in more ways than you will ever know. I think it is fantastic that you are going on this trip. Take care. Go, have fun!"

Betty slipped the box into her purse and hugged Claire again.

Gio saw Claire give the gift to Betty and smiled at the warm hug between them. Daniel observed Gio smiling as he watched Claire and Betty hug and he smiled too.

Hilda gave Betty a tray with half a dozen cupcakes on it. Papi had made cupcakes for them to eat on the plane. The cupcakes were decorated with a thick layer of pink icing in the shape of flowers. They were Betty's favorite. Hilda retrieved Betty's cell phone from her purse and said "Don't forget your phone!"

Betty said "No. I'm not taking it. It reminds me of work. Daniel, I don't want to hear from you. Don't call. Sorry, but I don't want to think about you or work on this trip. I'll tell you all about it after I get back. I'm going to practice my writing and keep a journal."

Betty kissed Hilda and said "Goodbye. I won't be calling you or Papi either. I'm going to get away from everything and just have fun. I'm going to prove I can manage on my own."

Hilda looked admiringly at Gio who was dressed in a short sleeved t-shirt and perfectly fitted blue jeans and hugged him.

Gio hugged Hilda back and said "Thank you. How will I ever thank you for your help?"

Hilda murmured "Hold me." while she luxuriated in the feel of Gio's strong arms around her.

After a few seconds Gio whispered in her ear "Are you trying to make Daniel jealous? He is right here you know."

Hilda laughed and said "Oh, sorry!" and then reluctantly pushed herself away from Gio.

Ignacio kissed Betty and shook hands with Gio. He gave her carry on bag to him.

Gio said "Heads up!" and tossed his unopened water bottle to Daniel who snatched it from the air.

"Good catch, Papa!" shouted Daniel Jr. gleefully.

Daniel said to Gio "Remember everything I told you, okay?"

Daniel and Gio had talked for many hours over the last few days. Gio had talked a lot with both Hilda and Daniel. Now the plan was entering the last phase. It was the most risky and dangerous part of the plan and Gio would be in the field and on his own.

Daniel said "Are you ready?"

Gio put down the luggage he was holding and straightened up. He looked serious, stood stiffly and touched his right hand to his forehead in a small salute.

Gio said in a crisp voice "Yes sir. Thank you sir!"

Then Gio smiled broadly, relaxed and shook Daniel's hand firmly. Daniel laughed and punched Gio's arm. Gio punched him back and they both laughed.

Daniel felt like he had gained a brother in the last week. He was glad. It had been a long time since his brother Alex had disappeared. Even though Alexis had returned she was a sister now. Daniel missed having a brother and he wanted one. Gio had never had a brother, he only had his two sisters Maria and Antonella, and he was glad to gain a brother too.

Daniel said goodbye to Betty and wished her the best. Betty thanked Daniel profusely for the time off and the gift of the vacation.

When all the goodbyes had been said they were finally ready to go. Gio carried the luggage and Betty held the cupcakes as they walked down the aisle to security. Just as the reached the corner they stopped and waved back to everyone. Ignacio, Hilda, Claire, Daniel, Christina, Daniel Jr. and Justin waved, shouted some more goodbyes and cheered.

Gio lifted his and Betty's carry on bags onto the conveyor belt leading into the x-ray machine. Then Betty put her purse and the cupcakes onto a tray. Gio emptied his pockets of coins into the tray. He took off his watch, his gold chain, his silver bracelet and ring and dropped them into the tray holding Betty's purse, the cupcakes and coins.

Betty went through the screening first. She laughed and smiled at Gio when she got through it easily "Ha! You're right!" and she pointed to her teeth "No problem!"

Gio followed her but he set off the alarm and it beeped. The agent pulled Gio aside. Gio sighed and obediently held his arms out to his side as the agent waved the wand over his body. The beeping continued. The agent asked Gio to remove his belt. Gio gave his belt to Betty and the agent waved the wand again. It beeped again. Gio was already over stressed and he was instantly frustrated and impatient. The agent asked him to remove his shoes. They were a pair of stylish loafers that Daniel had picked out for him. Gio couldn't believe he was getting the third degree from the agent and cursed under his breath. Gio wondered how the worst delays always seemed to happen when you were in the biggest rush. Then Gio remembered he was wearing another chain around his neck, a long one with a cross on it. He always wore it hidden under his shirt. He removed it and dropped it into Betty's tray. Gio finally passed the inspection and he slipped his shoes back on.

Just then an announcement came over the loud speakers "Paging passenger Mister Giovanni Rossi - please report to gate thirty-seven immediately."

This was followed immediately by another announcement "Paging passenger Miss Rosa Suarez - please report to gate thirty-seven immediately."

Gio picked up the carry on bags and looked at Betty. He lifted his eyebrows and said "Rosa?"

Betty picked up her purse and looped the strap over her shoulder. She had Gio's belt in one hand and the tray with the cupcakes, Gio's jewelry and coins in the other. She looked at Gio and said "Hello?"

Gio chuckled and asked "Who are you and what have you done with Betty?"

Betty giggled. She held the belt and tray out and said seriously "Um, I'll explain it later. Can we get going please?"

Gio said "Just dump it all in your purse and we will sort it out on the plane."

They collected everything and ran to the gate where the attendant checked their passports and boarding passes. Betty followed after Gio as he sprinted down the gangway ramp and onto the plane.

As Gio stepped over the threshold into the cabin he was met by the pilot and a flight attendant. Gio handed their boarding passes to the attendant.

The pilot said sternly "Well, there you are. You're the last ones. Do you want to go to Rome _tonight_?"

Gio was startled and answered "_I do_." He looked behind him to see where Betty was.

Betty stepped over the threshold breathing hard, her face red and sweaty from exertion and said "Yes, I do too."

The pilot smiled and said "Good, because that's where we're going now that you two are finally here."

Betty held out the tray of cupcakes and said apologetically "Sorry we're late, um, do you want a cupcake?"

The pilot laughed and said "Sure, thanks!"

He took one and returned to the cockpit while the flight attendant led them to their seats.

At last they were safely on their way.


	20. Three sundried tomatoes aren't enough

Betty's First Trip to Rome the Prequel - Chapter 20 – Three sun-dried tomatoes aren't enough

Gio and Betty found their seats on the plane. Daniel had bought first class tickets so they were very comfortable seats. Gio stashed the luggage overhead and Betty slipped the rest of the cupcakes under one of the seats in front.

Gio said "Window or aisle?"

Betty gladly took the window seat. She soon felt her anxiety disappear. It was replaced with a strong feeling of relief. Gio sat down beside her and he felt relieved too. They had made it onto the plane.

She started digging out Gio's coins and jewelry from her purse and putting them onto her tray. She pulled out and put back at least a dozen packages of dental floss.

Gio smirked and said "Uh oh. I don't think you packed enough floss for a whole month."

Betty laughed and slapped Gio's forearm. She shyly withdrew her hand when she touched his bare skin.

Gio said "You'll be happy to know you can buy it in Italy."

Betty laughed again and said "That's great because I love flossing; it is so much fun now that I have my braces off!"

Gio shook his head in disbelief "And I thought you were the girl that never had any fun."

Betty rolled her eyes at Gio and said "Comparatively."

Gio said "Well, this is good to know. I'll remember to add flossing time to the schedule."

Betty smiled and continued to rummage around her purse. Gio was pleased to notice his handkerchief, moist and crumpled, was stored in it.

The last thing Betty took out was the small box from Claire. She put it on the tray with Gio's coins, belt, gold chain, bracelet, ring, watch and the long chain with a cross.

A flight attendant passed by "Do you want a pillow?"

Both Gio and Betty responded "Yes!"

She gave them pillows and blankets and said "Hurry, you need to get ready and buckle up. We will be pushing back from the gate as soon as the pilot gets the okay. You have to put everything away. I have to go now to prepare for the cross check."

Gio collected the coins and put them in his pocket. Then he threaded his belt back into his blue jeans and buckled it.

Betty brushed her hand over Gio's jewelry and said "Look at all this stuff!"

Gio looked up and said casually "You don't like it? I don't need it. I just need my watch."

Betty picked up the gold chain and held it out for Gio "No, I like it. Here."

While he put it on she picked up his bracelet and watch. She gave them to Gio and he put them on. It took a few seconds for Gio to buckle his watch strap. Betty picked up his ring and told him to hurry up. Finally he held out his hand for the ring and Betty slipped it onto his finger for him. Then she picked up the long chain with the cross and put it over Gio's head. Gio smiled at her and sat patiently as she arranged the chain on him. Betty's fingers touched the bristly hair at the nape of his neck.

Betty said "Why did you cut your hair? Why did you cut it so short?"

Gio responded "You don't like it short?"

Betty said "No. Not this short, it was better before."

Gio said "No problem. I won't cut it until you tell me too. How long do you like it?"

Betty gazed at Gio and she smiled. She said "What do you think about guys wearing ponytails?"

Gio's eyes widened with surprise and he replied reluctantly "Ah, it's okay, I guess."

Betty laughed. She enjoyed seeing him squirm. She said "No, no, not a ponytail. Hmmm. What do you think about mullets?"

Gio was horrified. He didn't want to be caught dead with the ridiculous outdated hairstyle.

He was speechless for a moment and then he laughed "You're pulling my leg aren't you?"

Betty laughed gaily and said triumphantly "Got you!"

Gio said "You will pay for this! I don't know how. I don't know when. But you will!"

He thought for a minute and said "Maybe I'll start calling you R."

Betty said "R?"

Gio said "Yeah R. Short for Rosa. What do you think?"

Betty's smile disappeared and she said firmly "No! Not R please, no."

Gio noticed her sudden change of manner and looked at her with concern. His joke hadn't gone over well. He didn't understand why not. He said gently "Okay, okay, I won't."

Gio had been warned by Daniel to tone down his joking and teasing and Daniel was right. Daniel had talked intimately and at length with Betty and he knew her state of mind. Gio realized he should follow all of Daniel's instructions to the letter.

The only thing left on the tray was the small box from Claire.

Gio looked at the box and said "Open it!"

Betty said "I don't know. Should I? Maybe I should open it later."

Gio said "Come on. Have a look. Open it. I know you want to."

Betty slipped off the paper and removed the lid from the box. It contained a pair of pearl earrings.

Betty said "Oh my god, they are beautiful! These will look lovely with my B necklace!"

Gio said "Put them on. Let's see how they look on you."

Betty pushed back the hair from her face on the opposite side from Gio and put on an earring.

The flight attendant rushed by them again and urged them to hurry and get their belts buckled for departure.

Betty asked Gio to hold the hair on his side so she could fasten the second earring. Gio turned in his seat and reached over the short distance between them. He pushed the silky strands of her hair back from her face. Betty fumbled with the earring and finally secured it in place. She put the box back into her purse.

Gio continued to hold her hair back and look at her ear. Her ear was something he didn't see often because it was usually hidden under a heavy curtain of hair. It was delicate and pretty. He stared at the luscious pearl adorning her soft plump earlobe. The sight of her earlobe enticed and tempted him. He imagined feeling and tasting the contrast between the cool silky surface of the pearl and her warm soft skin with his lips and tongue. She was only inches from him and he knew she would be able to hear his breathing and feel his breath on her ear. He gently released her hair and sat back in his seat. He closed his eyes and tried to commit the wondrous sight to memory.

Betty held her hair back from her face and turned to Gio and said "Look at me! I don't have a mirror! How do I look?"

Gio opened his eyes and turned to look at Betty. She was smiling at him with a bright happy smile and he could see both of her ears. Her exquisite ears, each decorated with a single pearl, framed her glowing face. Gio was awestruck. He was captivated by the sight of her. Her lips were tantalizingly close to his. He thought of and discarded several answers as inappropriate.

Gio concentrated on keeping his hands still and said simply "Good. You look good."

Gio watched as Betty released her hair and turned away to look out the window. His eyes feasted on the sight of her. It was the first time he'd been alone with her since the fight.

Gio thought about the long flight ahead. The flight would be the first night he would spend with Betty. It would be the first of many nights. He thought about the month long trip. It was going to be incredible. Four weeks in a city he loved with Betty by his side every moment. The trip would be an awesome first date. He hoped it would be his last first date. He hoped to never date anyone other than Betty. She was the one. He had found her. He was waiting and hoping and wishing for her to find him.

Betty looked out at the activity around the plane. The headlights of the baggage vehicles shone brightly as they drove along the tarmac nearby. She could see the ground crew start to retract the gangway from the door of the plane. She was excited and nervous to go on this flight. She had not been outside of North America before and she was indebted to Daniel for giving her the chance to go.

Betty was concerned for Daniel. She was concerned for two reasons. Daniel had just lost his job to Wilhelmina Slater and Daniel Jr. had entered his life. It was a challenging time for him and Betty felt bad that she was leaving him now. She was worried he wouldn't be able to cope. He often needed her help. She helped him at work all the time. She helped him outside of work too. Just a few days earlier she helped Daniel find a tutor for Daniel Jr. She was proud of her ability to look after Daniel and his problems. She loved Daniel and she loved helping Daniel. She wanted to continue to work for him. Now she was going to be away for a whole month and she wondered if he would find out that he could survive without her. She hoped he wouldn't find another assistant he liked better. She worried he might not need her anymore when she returned from Rome.

Betty was concerned for Christina. She felt like she was abandoning her best friend at a difficult time in her life. Christina's baby had been conceived solely for Wilhelmina's financial gain. Wilhelmina wanted power in the company and she had succeeded in getting it. The baby entitled her to one-third control of Meade. And the first thing that happened was that Daniel had lost the job he loved. Betty didn't want to leave Christina in the care of someone like Wilhelmina. She was very glad that Claire was going to help Christina. She thought it was remarkable how the Meade's opinion of Christina's pregnancy had changed so much in recent days.

Betty was sad when she realized that she had not thought of her mother all day until Gio joked about her name. She was named after her mother. Her mother's name was her first name so Rosa was the name on her passport. Ever since her mother's death years ago she thought of her often. She usually thought of her many times a day. But today she had not. She felt guilty that she had not. As a young woman her mother had traveled all the way from Mexico with her father to start a new life. They had no money and no family in New York City but they came so that their children could have a better life. It was a huge sacrifice. The family was always the focus of Rosa's life. Later, when she suffered from and finally succumbed to cancer, she was very strong and brave. The advance of the cancer was slow, relentless and painful. Her mother cared for her family the best she could until the end. Tears formed in Betty's eyes as she remembered her mother's agonizing death. At her funeral the cards were inscribed with ' _Loving wife and wonderful mother_.' And this day, the day Betty was traveling to Europe on a pleasure trip with her dear friend Gio, a day that was among the happiest days she'd ever anticipated, she didn't think of her mother. Not even once. Betty felt a deep sadness that the memories she had of her mother were fading. She never wanted to forget her mother. She blinked away the tears. She wished she could always honor her mother's memory the way she should.

Betty was concerned about Henry. It was very sad that his baby son had such a terrible disease. She didn't want to think of Henry having to struggle to care for a sick baby and especially not when he was estranged from the baby's mother. She had loved Henry. She thought she had loved him with a true and lasting love. She was shocked to discover when he returned and proposed to her how much her love for him had diminished. She wondered how it could have happened. How could she have been so deeply in love with him a few weeks ago and be out of love now? He was her knight in shining armor, the prince in her fairy tale, and then he wasn't. Was she not the person she thought she was? Had she been deluded about her feelings for Henry? She questioned her ability to love. She wondered if her love for Henry was shallow because she had a defect in her personality.

Betty thought about Gio. She thought she was falling in love with him. She knew she already liked him dearly and she thought very highly of him as a person. She trusted and respected him. She thought he looked cute. He made her laugh. She wondered what other man would think to invite his little sister to a show. It meant a lot to her that he took her dream of being a writer seriously. She admired that he worked hard and had a fun attitude to life. And she knew that he was unfailingly caring and supportive of her. She knew he loved her. She knew he loved her with a deep abiding love.

She wondered whether the feelings she had for Gio would grow into real love. She wondered if she was capable of loving him with as strong a love as his love for her. Her experience with Henry made her doubt her ability to love him in the way he deserved to be loved. She didn't want to give Gio a flawed or fickle love. Henry's reappearance had severely muddled and disturbed her mind. It made her insecure. She wondered if something was wrong with her. She didn't think she was ready to start a new relationship yet. She wondered if she'd ever be able to return the quality of love that Gio was offering her.

Oftentimes Betty could see in Gio's bottomless brown eyes the appeal of an adorable puppy. She wanted to hold and cuddle the puppy. But occasionally when she looked in his eyes she saw a wild and dangerous animal lurking there. It was watching her and it scared her. She knew Gio had a passion for her that was intense. She was afraid his passion would consume her. She felt a visceral panic when she saw that look in his eyes and it made her want to run away. Her conversations with Hilda helped her understand it so she could overcome the sensation when she experienced it. She wondered when she might be brave enough to handle the animal in Gio. Until then she thought it would be best for him to stay her friend.

Gio gazed at Betty as she looked out the window.

He imagined asking her if she wanted to join the mile high club. He imagined her saying "yes" and then she'd hold his hand and he'd whisper sweet nothings into her ear until they got a chance to sneak into the lavatory together. As soon as they were inside the door he'd hug her and growl "come on and french me, Suarez" and she'd say "who calls it that?" and he'd say "I do" and she'd grab his head and kiss him fast and she'd do it deep. Then he'd push her away from him and she'd look at him in surprise her lips parted and breathing heavily. He'd tear off his t-shirt and she'd slide her hands over his skin and say "come on and french me, sandwich guy" and he'd say "who calls it that?" and she'd say "I do" and he'd grab her head in his hands and kiss her hard.

He'd kiss her passionately and deeply, each kiss more urgent than the one before. He'd kiss her until she was moaning from pleasure. She'd caress his rough chin and stroke his bare chest brushing her hands downwards lower and lower until she reached his belt and he'd gasp as she took hold of the buckle. She'd ask him for a turkey and sun-dried tomato sandwich and he'd exclaim "I _knew_ you were an eater" and he'd unbutton her blouse. He'd savor the sight of her, overflowing her black lace bra, and she'd say "there's a problem with my sandwich, I want more sun-dried tomatoes" and he'd reach inside her blouse and put his eager hands where they wanted to be. He'd massage her rhythmically until they were both breathing hard and moving in unison and say "aren't three enough?" and his hands would turn into bold explorers uncovering new territory and his lips and tongue would become greedy pirates plundering its hidden treasures.

She'd unfasten his buckle and beg "please, I want more tomatoes" and he'd murmur hoarsely "but more than three would overwhelm the smoky flavor of the turkey" and she'd plead for more and reach into his silk boxers and slide her hand down and repeat it until he'd groan and curse and choke out "it'd be wrong" and she'd push her body into his and finally cry out in frustration "_I think I can handle it_" and he'd fall backwards against the door and breathe "whatever you want" and surrender and do as she demanded.

Betty felt the airplane move; it was pulling back from the gate.

Gio didn't realize it but Betty could see his reflection in the airplane window's glass. She could see that he was gazing at her. He was staring at her intently. She felt trapped in the window seat. There was no way out except past him. She felt panic rising within her but she used the insight that Hilda taught her to quell the feeling. She wanted to go to Rome with Gio and she refused to let her irrational fears ruin the trip.

Betty took a deep breath and turned to look at Gio and said "It's time."

Gio replied "It is?" He didn't have any idea what she meant.

"Yes, it's time to put our seat belts on." she answered.

Gio said "Oh, right, of course. I just want to get out some magazines first."

Gio tried to relax. He knew he wouldn't join the mile high club on this flight but he wondered whether he might on the return flight. He hoped they'd be more than friends by then. He knew it would be amazing if they did it. He decided to scope out the lavatories and see what they were like. He hoped they were bigger than the ones in economy class. He thought about the requirements for the club. He wondered if it was technically necessary to wait until the plane reached cruising altitude or if waiting only until the wheels were off the tarmac would be sufficient.

He reminded himself to be careful. Betty was not blind. Her vision was fine. It was even better than fine because she could see right through him. She could tell from the look in his eyes what he was thinking. He had to banish his impure thoughts lest he scare her off again. He worried the urge to kiss her could overpower him at any moment. He had to be vigilant. He had to ensure he didn't overstep her boundaries. He vowed that for as long as was necessary he would restrain himself and act like a perfect friend. Gio considered it a small task to earn the chance to share a sublime love with Betty for the rest of his life.

Gio knew the trip would be four weeks of pleasure, but he also knew that for each moment of pleasure there would be as many or more moments of torment. Gio closed his eyes and recited a silent prayer.

The End - _Author's note_: This story is continued in my other story "Betty's First Trip To Rome" Search for it by add date Jun 20/08 or last update Sep 6/08.


End file.
